Prince Harry hits out at those 'intent on sabotaging reunion' with King

For 19 months, Prince Harry and his father, King Charles, did not see each other in person - despite the fact the Duke visited the UK during that timeframe.

The Duke of Sussex admitted in a candid interview with the BBC that his father wasn't speaking to him due to the ongoing legal claim he made against the Home Office, to try and get his automatic police security reinstated when he visits his home country.

Suing the government that operates under his father's name made reconciliation between the pair difficult from the monarch's perspective, it has been widely reported. However, despite repeated efforts, Harry eventually lost his battle to receive automatic police protection - and whilst that was a major disappointment for the Duke, it opened the door to the possibility of a reunion with his father.

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As it stands, Harry's security arrangements are now "bespoke" and whether he receives police protection is decided on a case-by-case basis. He has made it clear that he finds the prospect of bringing his two children - Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four - to the UK without being able to ensure their safety a frightening one.

However, a tentative peace has finally been broken with his father, who he had last seen when Charles was first diagnosed with cancer in early 2024, when he rushed back to check the monarch was all right.

The King welcomed Harry to his London home of Clarence House during the Duke's recent visit to the UK, where they spent nearly an hour together and took tea.

After leaving the UK, Harry travelled to Ukraine to meet with injured service people, and he told the Guardian whilst he was there that for the year ahead, "the focus really has to be on my dad".

It's been reported that Harry hopes to return a few times a year, meeting with the charities he has long championed, and continuing to spend time with his father.

But after a report in The Sun emerged, quoting anonymous sources who claim that Harry told them about the meeting with his father, the Duke has come out with a blistering statement against these "categorically false" stories that aimed to sabotage "any reconciliation between father and son".

The report claimed that Harry felt like an "official visitor" rather than a family member during his meeting with the monarch, and the Duke's spokesperson hit back at these claims.

"Recent reporting of the Duke's view of the tone of the meeting, is categorically false," the spokesperson said.

"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 given his father a framed photo of the two Sussex youngsters, Charles's grandchildren.