Prince Harry has met his father King Charles at Clarence House in London on Wednesday for their first face-to-face meeting since February 2024. The clues have been scattered all over the place in recent months. In his BBC interview in May, there was a distinct shift in tone from the prince. After the years of raw, emotional media appearances, the Netflix documentary series, and the searing criticism of the royal family in his memoir Spare, this was a different Prince Harry in front of the cameras. I would love a reconciliation with my family, he said. There's no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious.

Prince Harry had made his position clear. He wanted to see his father but was the King feeling the same way? A photograph in the Mail on Sunday in July showed the media communications team representing Prince Harry meeting in London with the King's communications director. Two rival camps coming together and the image finding its way onto the front page of a national newspaper.

Both sides denied leaking the photo but what it did was show there was a dialogue. A channel of communication between both camps had opened. And there has been a unified silence from both sides in recent days that has also been telling. Neither side would be drawn on a date or time of any reunion.

The Palace later confirmed that the King had a private tea with his son that lasted about 50 minutes during a visit to the royal residence. It all just felt like something had slightly shifted; if Prince Harry had left the UK without seeing his father, it was hard to see how that relationship would be rebuilt. However, full family reconciliation is still uncertain and it remains unclear when Prince Harry will return to the UK following this significant meeting.