Prince Harry is said to be “desperate” to reconcile with his family.
The U.K.’s Daily Mail recently reported that the Duke of Sussex quietly extended an olive branch to the royals by offering to share his official schedule of engagements. According to the outlet, this is a bid to ease tensions between him and his father, King Charles III, who is battling an undisclosed form of cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment. The couple’s office declined to comment when reached by People magazine.
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“Harry is now desperate,” British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital.
“While this self-serving gesture is notable, it won’t do much to mitigate suspicion and caution on the royal side,” Fordwich claimed. “King Charles III is now more guarded than ever, indeed somewhat traumatized by a string of betrayals.”
Fordwich noted that, according to palace insiders, the king “has expressed being ‘cautious and wary’ regarding fearing further unsavory leaks, [especially] private royal family gatherings being publicized yet again.”
“Also, overall doubt still prevails in Prince William’s camp,” Fordwich claimed. “He considers any reconciliation at all as a ‘grave mistake.’ His senior royal courtiers are understood to be just as wary and immensely protective of the future monarch. They only see [a reconciliation] as creating more bombshells, as well as instability.”
According to the outlet, Harry’s proposal will allow transparency, avoiding conflicts between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s public outings and the British royal family’s engagements. This will also attempt to quash rumors the Sussexes are trying to overshadow the royal family.
It’s noted that Harry’s recent visit to Angola honoring his late mother, Princess Diana, eclipsed stories about Queen Camilla’s 78th birthday.
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The outlet also revealed that Harry sharing his diary would potentially spark conversations about when father and son can meet in person again. Harry and Charles were last together for a brief meeting in February 2024 after Buckingham Palace announced the 76-year-old’s cancer diagnosis.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital he’s optimistic about Harry’s latest move.
“This represents a gesture of goodwill,” he said. “The Sussexes should always respect the royal calendar, where natural care is taken to avoid clashes whenever possible. … This is a practical move that will be appreciated. It appears the Sussexes are getting some good advice.”
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Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner agreed.
“This is a very significant departure and development for Harry as he attempts to find a peaceful way forward,” he told Fox News Digital. “In my opinion, this should be construed as a way forward and one which the royal family should accept and move forward to a peaceful conclusion for the future.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing unbearable intrusions of the British media and a lack of support from the palace. They moved to California that same year.
After their royal exit, the couple aired their grievances in interviews and documentaries. Harry’s 2023 memoir, “Spare,” which detailed embarrassing revelations about the House of Windsor, only worsened tensions with his family.
In televised interviews to promote the book, Harry accused his stepmother, Queen Camilla, of leaking private conversations to the media in an attempt to gain favorable tabloid coverage. He singled out Camilla’s efforts to rehabilitate her image with the public after her longtime affair with his father.
Sources close to Harry previously told People magazine the king wouldn’t respond to his letters or phone calls. Several royal experts told Fox News Digital William and Harry aren’t on speaking terms.
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In May, Harry told the BBC he wanted to reconcile with his family, but his father wouldn’t speak to him.
“I would love reconciliation with my family,” he said. “There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. I don’t know how much longer my father has.”
The Daily Mail reported that Harry’s aides had a private meeting July 9 with the king’s communications secretary in London.
Fox News Digital learned that Meredith Maines, the Duke of Sussex’s chief of staff and communications director, had traveled across the pond to meet with the U.K.-based communications team, media, stakeholders and senior figures connected to the prince’s patronages. The visit was entirely routine and part of ongoing planning and engagement.
Representatives for Buckingham Palace and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment at the time.
Still, an insider told People magazine “it was a good first step.”
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“It is always better to be talking,” the source said. “It’s a positive step. There’s optimism that it can be taken forever.”
William and wife Kate Middleton were reportedly unaware of the meeting. People magazine noted that the strain between the brothers continues.
“It’s no coincidence that William and Catherine did not have a representative [at the meeting],” a friend told the Daily Mail.
“They were not asked to send anyone and will be treating the talks with extreme caution. The fact that it ended up in the newspapers tells you all you need to know.”
Fordwich said it would take a lot more work for Harry to win back his family’s trust again.
“If there is to be any proper reconciliation, the royal family has absolutely no need to move at anything other than a glacial pace,” she explained. “As for the calendar gesture, it’s not important to the royal family. They share their calendars with the British government and other foreign governments. … It’s up to Harry to plan properly around the royals, not the other way around.”
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“This is … a desperate move on Harry’s part,” Fordwich claimed. “This supposed willingness to now coordinate schedules doesn’t equate to true contrition nor a genuine commitment to royal values.
“The only way for Harry to ever have any chance of repairing this ghastly rift is by his actions,” Fordwich insisted. “Harry would have to show discretion for many years to demonstrate any respect at all for protocol, privacy, as well as the family institution.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex live in the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito with their son, Prince Archie, and daughter, Princess Lilibet.
