Prince Harry has described claims that he was surprised his recent reunion with the King was ‘distinctly formal’ as “categorically false”.
Reports in The Sun newspaper claimed he even joked that he was made to feel more like an official visitor rather than a family member in his meeting with his father earlier this month.
But a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex hit back today, saying: “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 is reported to have handed his father a framed picture of his children, Archie and Lilibet.
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In a statement, a Sun spokesperson noted that Harry “confirms the exchange of gifts, including a family photograph.”
They said the paper’s story was a “carefully-sourced account of the meeting,” adding: “We have today updated the online article to include his new statement.”
‘Emotionally-charged response from Harry’
It is a particularly pointed and emotionally-charged response from Harry and his team, suggesting that a story about his meeting with the King shows sources “are intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son”, Sky News’ royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills writes.
Yes – Harry, since leaving the royals, has been a lot more outspoken about how he feels he’s been treated by the press and sources inside the palace.
But this comment is particularly swift, and the fact it’s a quote from his spokesperson shows he deliberately wants to get his side on this out there. It’s also indicative of a new team he’s now got in place.
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It also emphasises how important that meeting was to Harry.
The week that he was over in the UK was seen as a big step forward in terms of a reset for Harry, his work and public perceptions about him, but the fact that he also saw his father meant that he and his team could go home happy.
It was the one piece of the jigsaw that wasn’t entirely in his control, but it fell into place with that 50-minute meeting at Clarence House.
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Obviously, a lot has been said over the past five years since he left the Royal Family, and no one thinks that can be erased, but Harry has made it clear he wants reconciliation.
He also said to a reporter who followed him to Ukraine, at the end of his week in the UK, that his father is his priority.
Sadly, we can see from the spokesperson’s quote that this only reinforces Harry’s belief that people within the palace were always briefing against him and his family.
Trust is still, on all sides, the biggest barrier to rebuilding and reconciliation.
