Although speculation had been building that Prince Harry might meet with King Charles during his recent visit to the UK, the fact that it actually happened is another thing entirely. Father and son hadn’t met face-to-face since February last year and their tea at Clarence House was viewed by many as a positive sign.
They spent around 50 minutes together and we still don’t know exactly what was discussed. However, the Duke of Sussex spoke with The Guardian just days later, declaring that the coming year "the focus really has to be on [his] dad".
The Prince might not have spilled the beans on the specifics of the discussions with the King, but ahead of the meeting on 10th September, Woman’s Guest Royal Editor Duncan Larcombe detailed how important a role "trust" would play in a possible royal reconciliation - and how this could allegedly be a "sticking point".
Writing in Woman, Duncan suggested that a meeting (which has since taken place) would likely be "welcomed" by King Charles, who apparently harbours a "private desire to bring the long-running saga to an end". In his view, His Majesty would have wanted "to make sure that any conversations [were] not made public".
Not everyone was apparently so optimistic, though. A source alleged that Prince Harry’s openness in everything from his best-selling memoir, Spare, to TV interviews have broken a major "rule" and this could be hard to move past.
They claimed, "Harry has lost the trust of his family and broken the sacred rule by giving interviews and writing books about his family. How can Charles or William risk thrashing out their differences if they fear that Harry cannot be trusted not to make details of any conversation public?"
As Duncan himself put it, "the trust issue is, according to sources, a real sticking point". He predicted that His Majesty might have to "take a risk" and speak to Harry "on the basis that what is talked about remains strictly private".
The source believed that this would be "difficult" given the "level of detail" the Duke went into in Spare, particularly about his father and brother. Ultimately, King Charles did make the decision to meet face-to-face with Prince Harry regardless of the alleged "trust issue".
The Duke of Sussex didn’t go into detail about his dad with The Guardian, however certain comments he did make might not dispel any lingering concerns at the Palace.
"I know that [speaking out] annoys some people and it goes against the narrative. The book? It was a series of corrections to stories already out there," he said, adding, "I don’t believe that I aired my dirty laundry in public. It was a difficult message, but I did it in the best way possible. My conscience is clear."
It’s clear that Prince Harry firmly stands by his decision to pen the memoir - and the revelations it contains about his family, many of which arguably didn’t paint the likes of Prince William or Kate in the best light. This was a very public way to send a "difficult message" and his recent comments suggest that he wouldn’t be afraid to speak out again in the future if he felt a story needed to be corrected or that he was favouring openness.
This might make some in the Royal Family wary of further talks, particularly as Harry doesn’t always avoid talking about his father. Prince Harry told the BBC in May that he didn’t know "how much longer" the King had - prompting plenty of criticism.
King Charles has been cheerful and busy as ever throughout this year and hasn’t commented publicly on his meeting with his youngest son. It will certainly be interesting to see if another one happens before the end of this year and whether the "trust issue" has been affected by Prince Harry’s latest interview.
