No plans for Prince William and Prince Harry to meet – but how long ...

After a personal telephone call from the King, sharing his diagnosis with Harry, it wasn’t long before Prince Harry had made personal arrangements to travel back to the UK. He was on home soil by Tuesday lunchtime, being he was chauffeured through the gates of Clarence House to see his father. There was a marked police escort, which suggests that a special dispensation had been made – given that Prince Harry's right to automatic police protection was forfeited when he left the working royal family.

A car carrying Prince Harry is driven to Clarence House in London on February 6, 2024

The Duke spent just 30 minutes with the King, with his Land Rover seen heading down the Mall and around the Victoria Memorial thereafter, before disappearing off. The King left just a 15 minutes afterwards, driven in the Bentley State carriage; he was heading by helicopter to Sandringham, where it is said he will spend the majority of his time while undergoing treatment. It is understood that the King will travel on a weekly basis to London for medical attention.

Though half an hour seems a short time in the circumstances, some reports (such as in The Times) have it that the brevity of the meeting owed more to the King’s tiredness after his treatment than to anything else. However, if there is one hypothetical meeting which frosty relations still stand very much in the way of, it is that between Harry and William. There are said to be absolutely no plans for the brothers to reunite while Harry is in the UK, despite not having spoken for a year.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Prince William attend the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana at The Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace, London on July 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday

Relations between Harry and William fell completely apart after the accusations Harry made against the Waleses in his memoir, Spare. A palace source told The Times, ‘There is no plan, nothing in the diary’. Prince William will get back to his royal duties on Wednesday, after a period on the sidelines focused on supporting the Wales family during Princess Kate’s hospital stay following abdominal surgery two weeks ago.

In Spare, Harry described his relationship with William as ‘a rolling catastrophe’ and claimed that William had physically attacked him. What better time than now for the brothers to find some healing? It would certainly be a welcome development in the family – but it seems a distant prospect. The hurt is clearly still very real for William; and in Harry’s narrative, the hurt goes on for him too. William is yet to meet with the King following the diagnosis, though they are known to be in regular contact.

Prince Harry and Prince William walk to the church for the wedding of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews, 2017

Reports in the Mail Online suggest that Harry would be very willing to accept a reunion but that the Prince of Wales is more reluctant to meet with his brother after the hurt that was caused. Pundits will be keen to see how long Harry stays in the UK for and what other arrangements he has made. Meghan has remained in Montecito with Archie and Lilibet; obviously to look after the children, and perhaps also because of an awareness of the privacy of this moment.

The King’s diagnosis has no doubt focused his mind on his family and his legacy. The Mail Online quoted Kristina Kyriacou, the King’s former press secretary as saying, ‘Charles adores Harry. He didn't want any of this estrangement. If out of bad news, some good news comes and Harry and the King and the Queen and his brother are reunited - how wonderful.’

King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the Sunday service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on February 4, 2024

There will be many in the general public too, hoping that this bad news can yield the return of a familial love between members of the royal family.