King Charles and Prince Harry finally reunite after 19 months apart

A vehicle carrying Prince Harry arrives at Clarence House, the residence of his father King Charles III.

LONDON — The Duke of Sussex reunited with his father, King Charles III, for their first face-to-face meeting in 19 months on Wednesday, triggering speculation the royal family’s long-running rift might soon come to an end.

CNN understands that the King had a private tea at the royal residence with his son, Harry, this afternoon.

Speculation of a possible meeting between the father and son has been growing throughout Harry’s solo trip back to Britain this week for a series of charity visits and engagements, after previously sharing his desire to reconcile with his family in May.

The duke was seen being driven through the gates of Clarence House in a black Range Rover around 5.20 p.m. (12.20 p.m. ET). He departed just under an hour later.

Earlier Wednesday, the 40-year-old duke visited the Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London.

King Charles, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, had been in Scotland at the Balmoral estate, where he has been spending the summer. He is thought to have returned to the British capital on Wednesday afternoon, carrying out a number of official duties, including holding an audience with Peter Malinauskas, the premier of South Australia.

The last time that Charles and Harry spent time together was in February 2024 when the duke dashed back to Britain for a 30-minute meeting following the King’s shock cancer diagnosis. Harry, who is fifth in line to the throne, wasn’t able to see his father when he returned in April for his court battle over UK security arrangements as Charles was on a state visit to Italy.

While it’s too soon to say if there has been complete reconciliation, there have been signals in recent months of a possible rapprochement. Back in July, senior aides for both sides were seen meeting in the British capital – in what was understood at the time to be an initial re-opening of communication channels.

A family estranged

Tensions within the family had already peaked long before the duke challenged the downgrading of his security in Britain.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, alleged that a member of the family had expressed concerns about the skin tone of their first child, Prince Archie, before he was born. Meanwhile, Harry’s controversial memoir featured several incendiary accusations against his family, including that his brother Prince William had physically attacked him during an argument over Meghan.

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In May, Harry shed some light on the current family dynamics when he revealed in an interview with the BBC that his father had not been speaking to him due to his legal battle with the UK Home Office.

He shared his desire to rebuild bridges with the Windsor clan and acknowledged that “some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book… they will never forgive me for lots of things” but he added that he “would love reconciliation with my family.”

“There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” Harry said.

Brothers remain apart

There has, however, been no sign of an olive branch between the brothers. William’s immediate focus over the past year has been on his wife, Catherine, and their young children, as she went through treatment for cancer and is finding balance between life at home and royal duties.

Both brothers have been kept busy with a run of engagements over the past few days. Harry’s penultimate day of events on Wednesday saw him visit Imperial College London’s Centre for Blast Injury Studies, which he opened in 2013. Later, he attended a reception for his Invictus Games Foundation. The prior meeting with his father meant that Harry arrived around 40 minutes late.

The duke appeared relaxed as he entered the event, responding to a reporter’s question about his father: “Yes, he’s great, thank you,” according to Britain’s PA Media news agency.

His foundation is set to donate $500,000 to support injured children from Gaza and Ukraine through projects developing prosthetics, medical evacuations and humanitarian support, Reuters reported citing the duke’s office.

“No single organization can solve this alone,” the duke said. “Gaza now has the highest density of child amputees in the world and in modern history. It takes partnerships across government, science, medicine, humanitarian response and advocacy to ensure children survive and can recover after blast injuries.”

Meanwhile, Prince William was in Wales Wednesday to tour a new mental health hub on World Suicide Prevention Day.

On Thursday, Harry will carry out his final engagement with another charity he has long-standing ties to – The Diana Award – before he is expected to fly home to the US.

The duke has hit the ground running since landing in London on Monday. Before embarking on a string of engagements, he first made his way to Windsor to pay tribute to his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, on the third anniversary of her death. The duke privately visited her final resting place within St. George’s Chapel, laying a wreath and flowers.

Around the same time, William and Kate attended a commemorative event for the late sovereign less than 10 miles away in Sunningdale. Despite the proximity, the estranged brothers did not see each other.

Later Monday, Harry attended the WellChild Awards as patron of the charity that supports seriously ill children and their caregivers. He then traveled to Nottingham to announce a £1.1 million (US$1.49 million) personal donation to support young people impacted by violence while visiting the Community Recording Studio. For his part, William was back in London at a youth organization that had received funding from his “Homewards” initiative.

By Max Foster and Lauren Said-Moorehouse, CNN