Prince Harry’s PR team met King Charles III’s press secretary at a discreet London private members club in a glimmer of hope for reconciliation—but the trio were photographed by the tabloids.
The low key summit at the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) came after Harry and Meghan’s California-based chief communications officer Meredith Maines flew into London.
She joined up with Liam Maguire, the Sussexes’ U.K. based PR man, for the sit-down meeting with Tobyn Andreae, Charles’ director of communications.
However, a photographer for U.K. tabloid the Mail on Sunday captured images of the three royal aides sitting down for a casual drink at the ROSL, a short distance from Clarence House, Charles’ London residence.
Why It Matters
Prince Harry has for years accused Buckingham Palace of leaking stories about him and his family so the appearance of images of three people in the papers, none of whom has a significant public profile, sparked immediate fears the embryonic peace talks could disintegrate.
Not least of all, the Mail on Sunday is Harry and Meghan’s least favorite British tabloid, the pair having sued it four times between them.
What to Know
Newsweek has been told both sides remain optimistic that a new era of greater cooperation is still on the cards.
A Sussex source said the leak “was not from our side” and added that the saga had left them frustrated.
They suggested there was frustration in both camps at the meeting having been made public, but, crucially they did not believe this would sink attempts to usher in a more cooperative relationship.
Prince Harry’s Relationship With King Charles
Prince Harry signaled his desire to heal his relationship with King Charles during an interview with the BBC in May 2025.
“There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” Harry said. “Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff. But it would be nice to reconcile.”
The “security stuff” in question was the prince’s lawsuit against the British government over the decision to strip him of his police protection team. Harry had just lost that court case at the time of the interview.
It was a blow for him but the conclusion of the litigation also potentially opened up a new chance for royal peace.
That was, however, complicated by the fact Harry took a swipe at his father during the same interview, suggesting the king was an obstacle to him getting his police bodyguards back: “I never asked him to intervene—I asked him to step out of the way and let the experts do their jobs.”
That interpretation was at odds with the government’s stance in the lawsuit, that the decision fell to a senior figure within the Home Office, as well as the palace’s long-standing position that the Royal Household does not decide who gets police protection.
Needless to say, the latest meeting will be received as a positive sign that all is not lost, and a fragile peace is still being nurtured on both sides.
There is likely, though, a long way still to go.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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