The 1 Rule Charles Gave Harry So the Prince Could ‘Earn Back His Trust’—He ‘Drew a Line’
Reconciliation feels closer than ever after Prince Harry and King Charles finally met for the first time in over a year. But the meeting didn’t just happen. When you’re royalty, things never do. There’s planning, a lot of it, and sometimes even stipulations. And reportedly, the meeting between father and son came with some rules. As did Prince Harry’s visit to Queen Elizabeth’s grave.
Rob Shuter’s ShuterScoop, reported that the rules for Prince Harry visiting Queen Elizabeth’s grave were “absolutely no cameras.” According to a source, “The King allowed Harry to pay his respects, but only if it stayed private. That meant no Netflix crews, no photographers, no sneaky social media posts.” A courtier also told Shuter, “Charles didn’t want her memory turned into content. This was about respect, not publicity.”
Related: Here’s what each royal inherited from Queen Elizabeth
All of this reportedly comes because the royal family is still upset about Netflix’s docuseries Harry & Meghan. “That will never happen again. The King drew a red line,” reports said.
The meeting between King Charles and Prince Harry will reportedly also be kept on the down low. “This is an important first step towards rebuilding their father-and-son relationship,” the Daily Mail reported from a source. “He has told his father he won’t be giving any interviews about it and his team have been instructed not to brief journalists about what was said. There’s a long way to go before Harry can earn his family’s trust but he’s given some assurances.”
When Harry was asked about the meeting with his father later in the day, all he said was that King Charles was “great.” The meeting took place at Clarence House and lasted approximately 55 minutes. Buckingham Palace confirmed His Majesty had a “private tea at Clarence House with the Duke of Sussex,” but gave no more details.
Earlier reports indicated King Charles had personally approved Harry’s visit to Queen Elizabeth’s grave. And they also suggested Prince William might not have done so. Rob Shuter’s ShuterScoop reported that Prince Harry was “quietly granted permission by King Charles” for the visit, with a source saying, “This was a highly personal gesture. The King wanted to make sure Harry had access.”
As for William, well, the source also added he would have likely said no. “William believes Harry caused his grandmother deep stress. He would never have greenlit this moment,” a source told the journalist. And the reports also indicate that, even though King Charles and Prince Harry are seemingly finding common ground these days, that won’t extend to Prince William anytime soon. “The brothers are still oceans apart. Even grief can’t bridge that divide.”
Of course, all of this must be taken with a grain of salt, considering some experts were predicting the King Charles and Prince Harry meeting wouldn’t happen even days before it did happen. And if that meeting makes one thing clear, it is that the family is on the road to reconciliation. What that looks like, we will have to wait and see.
