After their first in-person meeting in months, there’s hope that Prince Harry and King Charles can mend their strained relationship.

This comes after Harry alleged that his father had stopped communicating with him following a family dispute. The tension between the Sussexes and the Royal family dates back to when they decided to step away from Royal duties.

According to one Royal author, a photograph of the Firm featuring Prince George was a “wake-up call” for Harry and Meghan, solidifying their decision to leave the UK.

The photo in question depicted the late Queen with her three successors, then-Prince Charles, Prince William, and six-year-old Prince George, in the throne room at Buckingham Palace to usher in a new decade in 2020.

This image was released just days before Harry and Meghan announced their intention to step down as working royals. At first glance, the picture simply represented the monarchy’s future and echoed many historical portraits, reports the Mirror.

However, it reportedly caused distress behind the scenes.

In his book Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, Andrew Morton wrote, “The royal couple suspected that the entire institution was conspiring against them. As they saw it, the evidence was all around them. The unspoken code was straightforward: the future of the monarchy was assured, with or without Meghan and Harry.”

In a recent episode of The Mirror’s podcast Pod Save The King, Morton revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had contemplated leaving the Royal family much earlier than previously believed, with discussions beginning just six months after their wedding. He stated, “Harry was having conversations in a London hotel with Oprah Winfrey back in November 2018, just six months after they’d been married. So they were thinking about a different direction of travel pretty early on.”

Earlier this week, it was suggested that any potential reconciliation between Harry and his father could be jeopardized by Harry’s latest actions regarding his security arrangements in the UK.

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A source close to the Duke of Sussex revealed that he penned a letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood shortly after she assumed her position, formally requesting a risk assessment from the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which is supervised by the Home Office.

This follows Harry’s unsuccessful appeal in May against the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office over Ravec’s decision that he should receive a different level of taxpayer-funded protection while in the country.

Since stepping down from his Royal duties, Harry is not automatically entitled to police protection and currently receives ‘bespoke’ protection on a case-by-case basis.

However, an insider has informed The Sunday Times that the King’s letter to Ms Mahmood will make him hesitant about communicating with his younger son, stating, “It’s not going to help matters. We’re back to where we were.”

Those close to Harry had previously hinted that the King could have stepped in regarding the case, but palace insiders have dismissed this idea.

The Sunday Times reveals that the King and his counselors had hoped the Court of Appeal verdict would resolve the matter – and aid in mending his relationship with Harry.