Prince Harry is heading to Europe in September, but “peace talks” with King Charles III aren’t happening, royal experts tell Fox News Digital.
OK! Magazine originally reported that father and son would privately meet Sept. 17. The date is significant because it coincides with the end of the Duke of Sussex’s Invictus Games trip to Düsseldorf and the king’s return to London from Balmoral.
Meghan Markle is expected to join her husband in Germany, Glamour magazine reported.
However, Sussex sources denied the report to the New York Post.
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A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as Buckingham Palace, didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Multiple royal experts told Fox News Digital they don’t believe a “peace summit” is happening between the monarch and “the spare.”
“The person I spoke to about this, they poured quite a lot of scorn on it, and we’re not at that stage yet from either side,” said royal expert Duncan Larcombe.
Larcombe said it would take “nothing short of a miracle” for Harry, 38, and Charles, 74, to come together and repair their relationship.
“Feelings between Prince William and Prince Harry are still running so strong that I think King Charles would think long and hard about going behind William’s back and trying to make peace with Harry,” he explained. “I just don’t think that time has come yet. I’m not saying it never will. But I think we’re a long way off.”
Larcombe claimed that whenever the royals finally agree to a sit-down, the Duchess of Sussex wouldn’t be part of the conversation. The former American actress became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Harry in 2018.
“If … they do have a summit, that will only happen on the basis that it’s in the strictest confidence and the details of that conversation would never go anywhere else,” Larcombe explained. “I just don’t think that they would trust Meghan. … You can’t have a full and frank conversation with Harry and run the risk of it being broadcast in America soon after. That’s a trust thing.”
“The royals do not trust Meghan,” he said. “And I think they’ve already got quite a good reason not to trust her at this point.”
In 2020, the couple announced they were stepping back as senior royals, citing what they described as the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. They moved to the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito, California, that year.
The couple sat for a two-hour TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, launched a six-part Netflix docuseries about their life together and Harry released his best-selling memoir, “Spare.”
Christopher Andersen, author of “The King” said with the couple’s history of airing grievances, the monarch is being cautious. His focus now, Andersen said, is on the monarchy’s future.
“The king has moved on,” said Andersen. “He and Queen Camilla are harnessing the popularity of the royals they can most trust – Princess Anne, Prince Edward — but most of all, Prince William and Kate Middleton — to shore up the image of the monarchy.”
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“King Charles hasn’t written off Harry entirely,” Andersen shared. “I’m sure Charles would welcome his prodigal son back into the fold under the right circumstances. But as a practical matter, Charles has bigger fish to fry. He must address the fact that he does not have the same grassroots support that his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, had. His subjects would rather have William and Kate as their king and queen — and soon, not years from now. In the meantime, support for the institution of the monarchy itself is beginning to crumble.
“At the same time, Harry shows no sign of capitulating either,” Andersen continued. “He has made an entirely new life for himself. The king would only agree to speak with Harry if Harry agreed to keep their conversations private. It would be completely out of character for Harry to agree to be muzzled now. He’s made it pretty clear over the last couple of years that he’s all about getting his side of the story out there, regardless of the consequences.”
Tensions between Harry and his family have only deepened following the publication of his book in January.
In it, he alleged his father branded him the “spare.” The tell-all is dominated by his rivalry with his elder brother, who is heir to the throne, as well as the 1997 death of their mother, Princess Diana. The opening chapter recounts how the former Prince Charles broke the news of his mother’s fatal accident but didn’t hug his grieving son.
Among other allegations, Harry claimed that during an argument in 2019, William, 41, labeled Markle, 42, “difficult” and “rude” before grabbing him by the collar and knocking him down. Harry suffered cuts and bruises from landing on a dog bowl. Harry said Charles implored the brothers to make up, saying after the funeral of Prince Philip in 2021, “Please boys, don’t make my final years a misery.”
Harry added that he and William “pleaded” with their father not to marry his long-term paramour Camilla Parker-Bowles, worried she would become a “wicked stepmother.” He claimed that Camilla, 76, “sacrificed me on her personal PR altar.”
British royal commentator Jonathan Sacerdoti said while the king is hopeful for a reconciliation, the couple’s tell-alls have made it difficult for the royal family to trust them.
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“Many of us understand how hard it can be for a father to deal with tensions in his own family, especially involving his son,” Sacerdoti explained. “For the king, there has been little to no public interaction with Harry since the allegations made through the pages of his book and his TV shows. Behind the scenes, the king might want to talk about it, both for his own peace of mind and Harry’s and also for the sake of the royal family and the nation in general.”
“Peace talks may be in the cards as there is often talk of reconciliation,” said royal commentator Ian Pelham Turner. “It does not surprise me that Meghan would not be a part of a face-to-face meeting unless some details have already been negotiated and King Charles wishes to see his grandchildren more regularly in Britain.
“Scotland and Balmoral have a calming effect on Charles, where he will be reflecting on the state of the monarchy. If he is seen as the public peacemaker, it could … strengthen the future [of the monarchy], especially with … communities that still support Meghan. [The duchess] has much bridge building of her own to do, but it works both ways. Personally, I would like to see a united royal family.”
The royals across the pond aren’t the only ones thinking about their future. Larcombe said we can expect to see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex focus on solo projects to rehabilitate their brand globally.
“I’ve always said that Harry’s move to California wasn’t a break from what he was trying to escape from,” Larcombe explained. “And Harry longed to have a normal life. … There are some signs at the moment [showing] Harry and Meghan are going in different directions career-wise. They’re not the duo they were. Harry’s pursuing his interests, and Meghan’s pursuing hers. … It doesn’t mean the marriage is in trouble. It just means the dynamics seem to be slightly shifting.”
“It could be the evolution of the brand,” he continued. “Harry and Meghan as a double act? I think we’re seeing signs that that’s no longer the case. Even when Meghan was doing her podcast, Harry was always in the background. … That seems to be happening less with Harry announcing his own trips, like the one to Japan.”
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will pair up again for a new project. Their docuseries, “Heart of Invictus,” will be available for streaming Aug. 30 on Netflix. The show will follow competitors as they prepare for the 2020 Invictus Games. The prince founded the sports competition for sick and wounded service personnel and veterans in 2014.
The king is expected to spend the next several weeks at Balmoral Castle. Royal sources have claimed Charles will spend Sept. 8, the first anniversary of his mother’s death, in “quiet reflection.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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