Prince Harry is dispelling myths about his recent meeting with his father, King Charles.
On Friday, the British tabloid The Sun reported that Harry’s visit with his father earlier this month was “distinctly formal,” and that the Duke of Sussex felt like an “official visitor” rather than a member of the royal family.
On Saturday, Prince Harry pushed back against that account in an official statement to People.
“Recent reporting of The Duke’s view of the tone of the meeting is categorically false,” the statement read. “The quotes attributed to him are pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son. Presumably, those same sources have also chosen to disclose that gifts were exchanged.”
The U.K. tabloid didn’t get every detail of the meeting wrong, noting that Harry gave his father a photograph of his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, without himself or his wife, Meghan Markle, in the image.
“While we would have preferred such details to remain private, for the sake of clarity, we can confirm that a framed photograph was handed over, however, the image did not contain the Duke and Duchess,” the statement continued.
On Sept. 10, Harry and King Charles reunited for the first time since February 2024. Reuters confirmed the two had a private tea at Clarence House.
Earlier this month, in an interview with BBC, Harry expressed hope for “reconciliation” with his father.
“Of course some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course they will never forgive me for lots of things,” he said.“But you know … I would love reconciliation with my family … There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. And life is precious.”
The Duke of Sussex also reflected on his father’s aging and acknowledged the uncertainty of how many more opportunities they will have to connect.
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