Senior aides to the King and Prince Harry have been pictured together in London, possibly opening a channel of communication between the two sides for the first time in years.
Meredith Maines, the duke’s chief communications officer, and Liam Maguire, who runs Harry and Meghan’s UK public relations team, were pictured meeting with Tobyn Andreae, the King’s communications secretary, at the Royal Over-Seas League near Clarence House.
Sky News understands it’s the first time they’ve all met like this.
The images were obtained by The Mail On Sunday, with the paper quoting a source saying there was no “formal agenda” to the meeting, but there were “things both sides wanted to talk about”.
Both sides have been contacted for comment.
Relations between the King and his second son declined significantly after the 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which Harry and Meghan alleged a member of the Royal Family was concerned about the colour of their son Archie’s skin before he was born.
In his controversial memoir Spare, the duke then claimed his brother, the Prince of Wales, had physically attacked him and that the King put his own interests above Harry’s, and was jealous of Meghan.
The rift deepened further in 2020 when the Sussexes announced that they would step back as senior members of the Royal Family and split their time between the UK and US. It was at this time that Harry’s taxpayer-funded security was also taken away.
In a Good Morning America interview in 2023, Harry said he was “stunned” by the decision. He also took the Home Office to court over the move.
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In May this year, the duke lost that legal challenge, with the Home Office saying security decisions were now taken on a “case-by-case” basis.
Speaking in an interview with BBC News after losing the case, Harry said he wants a “reconciliation” with the Royal Family – but claimed the King “won’t speak to me”.
The duke was criticised for saying “I don’t know how much longer my father has”, appearing to refer to the King’s cancer diagnosis.
