Peace talks between King Charles and Princes William and Harry should take place before coronation
Peace talks between Prince Harry and his family are likely to take place before King Charles' coronation to stop the occasion becoming "a circus".
Peace talks between Prince Harry and his family are likely to take place before King Charles' coronation.
The 38-year-old prince - who stepped back from royal duties with wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in 2020 - has blasted his father and brother Prince William in his memoir 'Spare' and promotional interviews for the book, but royal insiders believe they can still reconcile and are hoping there will be a face-to-face meeting before Charles is coronated on 6 May in a bid to stop the occasion becoming " a circus".
A source close to the king, who also knows Harry and Meghan well, told the Sunday Times newspaper:“We’ve got to move on it, and get it done by April. Then, we need to get the wives in. The King needs a clear run for the coronation.”
Another source added: “They have to invite them in before the coronation, or it will become such a circus and distraction.”
The insiders are confident the rift can be fixed, with the help of trusted aides.
The first source said: “It’s going to take flexibility on all sides, but it can be done, it’s fixable.
“It needs Harry over here, in the room with the King and Prince of Wales, a couple of other family members, some of ‘his people’ he trusts who always had his back, so he doesn’t think he’s being ambushed. Someone like Elf [Ed Lane Fox, Harry’s former private secretary] and Christopher [Lord Geidt, the late Queen Elizabeth's former private secretary].
“Both sides need to hold their hands up and admit we didn’t get everything right, and we got a lot wrong, and we have to say to him ‘We understand the pain you’ve been through’. The King can do it..."
And while William is said to be "burning inside" over Harry's comments, he understands the reconciliation needs to happen for the sake of the monarchy - but his younger brother will need to show some accountability too.
The source added: “He is loyal to the throne and understands what needs to be done for the country.
“Not everyone here behaved well, but Harry’s got to be able to sit down and say ‘we didn’t behave well either’. That takes a lot of academic flexibility, which Harry isn’t great at.”
The insiders believe Harry and Meghan - who also released a six-part Netflix docuseries about their departure from royal life - will be asked to "be quiet and get on" with their lives if they want to rebuild their family relationships.
A source said: “They have to now be quiet and get on with their thing in America and Harry has got to realise that it might all go down better there, but here in the UK, people have taken it very badly. You’ve said your piece, but why are you trying to torch the whole house?”
