With Prince Harry back in the news this week, I have been thinking about what the rest of this year might bring for him.
As his High Court lawsuit against a newspaper group drew to a close, the question of when he might next see his father became the focus of intense speculation.
Not only has the King's upcoming state visit to the US been confirmed – putting father and son temporarily on the same side of the Atlantic – but sources close to Harry have let it be known that he would very much welcome an invitation from the King for him, Meghan and their children to spend "family time" at Sandringham in July.
A friend of Harry's pointed out that such an invitation would give the Sussexes automatic security – another issue over which Harry is embroiled in legal action in the UK – and enable him to bring his family here without fearing for their safety.
Making this suggestion so publicly, in a Sunday newspaper, seems an odd way of reaching out to his father, especially given his well-known hatred of the British press and his calls for privacy – a topic on which he spoke in Washington last week. This strategy appears to have backfired and somewhat put noses out of joint at Buckingham Palace. It may have even hindered, rather than helped, Harry's objective of securing an invitation from the King.
"If Harry truly wishes to see his father, he would do well to encourage his supporters to allow such matters to be discussed privately, since low trust and bitter experience in this regard remains one of the principal barriers to progress," a friend of the King said.
© Getty ImagesSo what are the chances of the King being reunited with his younger son – and perhaps more importantly, with the grandchildren he has not seen in person for four years?
A long time coming
Charles last met Prince Archie and Prince Lilibet at the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022, when Archie was just three and Lilibet was still a baby, far too young to have any proper memories of him.
Since then, Harry's explosive memoir Spare has blown up his relationship with the royal family, having come on the back of his and Meghan's 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which Meghan smeared the royal family with allegations of racism.
© InstagramYet the King hasn't shut the door on his younger son, and they have tentatively tried to build bridges, meeting for tea at Clarence House last September, when Harry was in London for charity events.
Harry is also likely to have kept his father connected to Archie and Lilibet through FaceTime calls – as he did with the late Queen when she was alive. But that is no substitute for grandfatherly cuddles.
With the King still having treatment for cancer two years after his diagnosis, family is more important to him than ever. At 77, and with the wisdom of age and the perspective of a man who has been forced to face his own mortality, I think he is ready to forgive.
But he won't be taking a detour to California when he visits Washington DC and Bermuda later this month. Preoccupied with the task of trying to smooth over Anglo-American relations with Donald Trump, dealing with the issues within his own family will have to wait for another time.
© Getty ImagesA summer of family love?
So could that time come this summer, when Harry hopes to bring Meghan and the children to the UK? I certainly think it's possible.
There's no doubt that his estrangement from the son he once called "my darling boy" has taken a huge emotional toll on the King, who would dearly love to see his youngest grandchildren again and build a meaningful relationship with them.
Harry has previously said he wants an apology from the royal family, while some take the view that he is the one who should apologise. But his stance has softened recently, and he’s admitted he would love to spend more time in the UK with his family.
A decision by the government committee that determines security arrangements for the royal family and other high-profile figures, which withdrew his automatic armed security when he and Meghan stepped down as working royals and moved to the US, is expected soon (here you can read why royal author Robert Jobson thinks full security for the Prince should be restored).
© Getty ImagesWhile Harry's relationship with his brother Prince William remains badly fractured, both he and the King are open to building bridges, and I think it's highly possible that this summer could be the right time for that family reunion.
Whether Queen Camilla is in quite such a forgiving mood remains to be seen – after all, she has been called "dangerous" and a "villain" by her stepson – so I predict she will find somewhere else to be if Harry and Meghan decamp to Sandringham.
But as Harry and the King have both realised, life is far too short to miss out on the important things that bond families – the royal family included.
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