Charles 'saddened and perplexed' as Harry accuses palace aides of sabotaging reconciliation

The Duke of Sussex said reports of his first meeting with the King in almost two years, which took place at Clarence House in London on September 10, were "invention fed".

He accused the institution of leaking information about the "private tea", claiming that "men in grey suits" were responsible.

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Friends of the King are said to be disappointed by the claims, with a royal source telling the Times: "The reality is that senior aides have been working behind the scenes to improve what is a delicate but important private family relationship.”

After their 50-minute meeting, the duke told guests at a charity reception in London that his father was “great”.

But article in the Sun claimed Harry joked he felt more like an “official visitor” rather than a member of the royal family.

A spokesperson for the prince slammed the quotes attributed to him as “pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son”.

The spokesperson did not specify who the information might have come from.

The newspaper said Harry "was given full right of reply yesterday in advance of publication and opted not to give a response to the Sun’s carefully sourced account of the meeting”.

Harry’s spokesperson also corrected the Sun's claim that a framed photograph of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s family was 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's spokesperson said.

The duke has previously claimed that "men in grey suits" at the palace had conspired against him.

In his memoir Spare, he accused three courtiers - whom he nicknamed “Bee, Wasp and Fly” of acting to force him out of his royal role.

“I’d spent my life dealing with courtiers, scores of them,” he said. “But now I dealt mostly with just three, all middle-aged white men who’d managed to consolidate power through a series of bold Machiavellian manoeuvres.”

The latest fallout could derail the Prince's plan to return to the royal family. He has previously said he wants to come back to the UK "four or five times" a year.

However, reports of future public engagements between himself and the King were quickly quashed by the palace.

When asked whether Harry could play a more formal position within the royal family, a palace source said there could be no "half in, half out" role.