King Charles III and Prince Harry’s much discussed peace has already been thrown into chaos—after Harry alleged a plot by “sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation.”

As recently as May, Harry said his father was not speaking to him over a lawsuit he filed against the British government about his police protection arrangements.

That seemed like ancient history by the time the pair sat down for tea together on September 10 as journalists waited outside Clarence House in London anxiously counting the minutes they spent together—which totaled a little under 55.

Now though, the delicately brokered rapprochement appears to have been rocked after a story in The Sun said Harry found the meeting “very official, like an official visit.” The article also disclosed that a family photo had been exchanged, while the underlying suggestion seemed to be that Harry had come away unhappy with the tone of the meeting, which Newsweek understands is not correct.

Harry’s spokesperson told outlets including Newsweek: “Recent reporting of The Duke’s view of the tone of the meeting, is categorically false.

“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. 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.”

Harry has been vocal in the past about how difficult he finds it when British newspapers carry quotes from palace sources about him and his family. In fact, it was the justification he gave Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes for writing his book, Spare.

“Every single time I’ve tried to do it privately there have been briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife,” Harry said in January 2023. “You know, the family motto is never complain, never explain. But it’s just a motto.”

“So now, trying to speak a language that perhaps they understand,” he continued, “I will sit here and speak truth to you with the words that come out of my mouth, rather than using someone else, an unnamed source, to feed in lies or a narrative to a tabloid media that literally radicalizes its readers to then potentially cause harm to my family, my wife, my kids.”

However, the new broadside, this time issued by his spokesperson, comes at a time when he had seemingly adopted a new, less combative approach—and with some success.

After all, he got the meeting with Charles even though supporters of the monarchy have long been calling for the king to cut Harry off completely, as Prince William appears to have done.

In fact, royal commentators had explicitly spoken of the importance that details of any meeting between them should not be leaked publicly.

Richard Fitzwilliams told TV show Good Morning Britain in August: “What’s very important is that any reconciliation happens behind closed doors.”

Interestingly, a very different take was published in Us Weekly soon after the meeting, with a source telling the magazine: “They were catching up personally about the children and what has been going on with Charles and his health. There were hugs and tears at the meeting.”

That suggestion of hugs and tears will likely have raised eyebrows in royal circles. It is difficult to say with any certainty exactly where either briefing originated. However, some in the palace may have been tempted, rightly or wrongly, to view Us Weekly as a Sussex-friendly brand after it was previously used by Harry and Meghan’s team to stage a PR fightback against past allegations of bullying.

Either way, allegations of deliberate sabotage risk an almost immediate unraveling of the tentative progress made during Harry’s visit to Britain.

The Daily Telegraph reported palace insiders saying it was “sad” things had broken down publicly given private efforts made to mend the relationship.

The real test though will be whether both sides are now able to move on and—in the long term—return to broader efforts to broker peace and a more co-operative relationship.

Do you have a question about King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.