'He's great, thanks': Harry and Charles reunite after more than a year - with meeting lasting less than an hour
Prince Harry has met his father, the King, for a private tea at Clarence House in their first meeting for more than a year, saying Charles is 'great, thanks'.
Listen to this article
The last time the King and his son saw each other was February of last year, when the Duke of Sussex came to London to visit his father, who announced he was having cancer treatment.
But they spent just over 30 minutes together on that occasion, before the King left to recuperate in Sandringham.
This afternoon, he was seen driving through the gates at the King's London residence Clarence House, for what was called a "private tea" by Buckingham Palace officials.
He didn't spend long with his father, and was seen driving back out less than an hour after arriving.
Read more: Harry makes UK return laying wreath in Windsor to mark three years since late Queen’s death
Read more: Prince Harry returning to UK for charity visits with donation to Children in Need
He attended an Invictus reception in the City of London later on Wednesday evening, just over an hour after he left Clarence House, appearing relaxed, smiling and upbeat.
Asked how his father was by a reporter shortly after arriving at the Invictus reception, Harry replied: "Yes, he's great, thank you."
The pair's long-awaited meeting, which lasted just 54 minutes, came after Harry publicly expressed hopes of a reconciliation with his family in May.
Harry, who is no longer a working royal, is currently in the UK to carry out a run of charity engagements, which included a visit to the Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London earlier on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, he was seen laying a wreath to mark the anniversary of the death his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in Windsor.
Senior aides to the King and Harry were pictured together in London this July in what was reported to be an initial step towards opening channels of communication between the two sides.
Reports just before Harry's arrival in the UK suggested there were no plans of a reunion, and if the meeting was planned, it was kept very quiet.
The King, 76, is understood to have travelled down to London from his Balmoral home, where he has been spending the summer break. He is now in London with Camilla.
But Harry remains estranged from his brother William, the Prince of Wales.
A meeting between the pair is unlikely, as the future king is currently in Cardiff to visit a mental health hub on World Suicide Prevention Day.
Harry, who levelled accusations at the King, Queen, William and Kate in his Oprah interview, Netflix documentary and memoir Spare, said in May that Charles will not speak to him because of his court battle over his security, and he does not know “how much longer my father has”.
But he also outlined his hopes for a “reconciliation” with his family, saying: “Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things.”
He added: “But you know, I would love reconciliation with my family” and said there was “no point in continuing to fight any more”.
On Tuesday, William visited a youth organisation in Lambeth, south London, while Harry revisited the Community Recording Studio (CRS) in Nottingham’s St Ann’s area.
Harry last visited the CRS to mark World Mental Health Day in October 2019, just two months before he and the Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping down as senior working royals and moving to North America.