PRINCE HARRY AND KING CHARLES’ TEAMS HOLD SECRET PEACE TALKS TO END ROYAL FALLOUT
The secret Harry peace summit: King Charles and Duke of Sussex’s senior aides meet for talks near royal palace in first step towards reconciliation and strongest sign yet both sides want to resolve bitter family feud
King Charles and Prince Harry’s senior aides have held a secret peace summit, The Mail on Sunday can reveal, marking the first significant move to resolving their rancorous family feud.
Sources said last week’s meeting was the initial step in a ‘rapprochement process’ to restore the broken relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the rest of the Royal Family.
Aptly, the talks were held at a London private members’ club that champions international friendship, and whose patron is the King.
It is not known whether it was Charles or Harry who extended the olive branch, but insiders said the summit is the strongest sign yet of the determination on both sides to resolve the bitter House of Windsor feud.
‘There’s a long road ahead, but a channel of communication is now open for the first time in years,’ said a source. ‘There was no formal agenda, just casual drinks. There were things both sides wanted to talk about.’
Harry was represented by Meredith Maines, his chief communications officer and head of his household in Montecito, California, who flew in from Los Angeles.
She met Tobyn Andreae, the King’s communications secretary, at the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) a three-minute walk from Clarence House, the monarch’s London residence.
Also present was Liam Maguire, who runs the Sussexes’ PR team in the UK.
It is not known whether it was the King or Harry who extended the olive branch (King Charles is pictured with Mr Andreae in November 2024)
It was Ms Maines who organised Harry’s BBC interview in May in which he said he ‘would love a reconciliation’ with the Royal Family, but that the King ‘won’t speak to me because of this security stuff’.
The Duke was referring to the removal of his automatic police security detail in Britain, which he called an ‘old-fashioned establishment stitch-up’ and suggested his father could have resolved the situation.
Despite this adding to a history of wounding remarks, Charles was still said to be hopeful of a reunion with his younger son and that he might yet build a relationship with his two grandchildren, six-year-old Prince Archie and four-year-old Princess Lilibet.
Ms Maines, wearing a sleeveless cream jacket and high heels and carrying a black Louis Vuitton bag, arrived at the club by taxi with Mr Maguire at 3.50pm on Wednesday. Mr Andreae turned up several minutes later carrying a gift from Berry Bros & Rudd, the wine and spirits merchant which has been supplying the Royal Family since 1760.
The trio were later seen chatting over drinks in the 26C (78F) sunshine on the club’s first-floor garden terrace overlooking Green Park.
After ten minutes they got up and resumed their discussions inside. The source said the summit was only the ‘first step towards reconciliation between Harry and his father, but at least it is a step in the right direction.
‘Everyone just wants to move on and move forward now. It was finally the right time for the two sides to talk.’
Founded in 1910, the Grade I-listed ROSL was an apposite choice of venue. It is dedicated to ‘fostering international friendship and understanding’. Its website says its members ‘benefit from the club’s stunning interior design and restoration combined with historic features and architecture whilst enjoying a world of dining, events, arts and accommodation all under one roof.’
Sources said the meeting last week was the first step in a ‘rapprochement process’ aimed at restoring relations between the Royal Family and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (King Charles is pictured on Thursday)
During a BBC interview in May of this year, Harry hinted at wanting to reconcile with his family
Ms Maines – who was also in the UK to meet her British-based team for the first time since she was appointed as the Sussexes’ first chief communications officer on March 3 – flew back to the US after the meeting.
She is understood to have reported straight to the Duke. She is based at the Sussexes’ £15 million mansion, from where they conduct their affairs, rather than using a separate office.
A seasoned Silicon Valley strategist with past roles at Google and a software company, Ms Maines spends most days at Meghan and Harry’s home managing their day-to-day operations and overseeing a team of eight staff.
She is the most senior aide in the newly formed ‘Sussex Royal Household’, which was formed last month in a bid to emulate the rigid hierarchical structure Harry operated in when he was a working member of the family at Kensington Palace.
Ms Maines is said to have masterminded the unveiling of the duchess’s Netflix show With Love, Meghan, and her lifestyle brand As Ever.
Mr Maguire, who, like Harry, is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, has worked on projects associated with the Invictus Games for wounded service personnel since Harry launched it in 2014.
The Windsor feud began shortly after Harry and Meghan moved to California and gave an explosive interview to US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.
The Windsor feud began shortly after Harry and Meghan moved to California and gave an explosive interview to US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey (they are pictured in May 2024)
Insiders said the final straw for Prince William were claims made his younger brother made in memoir, Spare, including that they had physically fought over Harry’s relationship with Meghan (William and Harry are pictured together in June 2021)
