The Duke of Sussex has been left ‘frustrated’ by coverage of his private meeting with the King, listen to A Right Royal Podcast’s new episode out now
The Duke of Sussex‘s four-day visit to the UK last month is still making headlines – particularly following his brief reunion with his father, the King.
Harry and King Charles had not seen each other for nearly two years, but their “private tea” at Clarence House, which lasted less than an hour, has been the subject of intense speculation.
Most recently, the Duke released a furious statement after reports suggested he had found the father-son meeting more formal than expected, reportedly feeling treated as an official visitor rather than family.
In the latest episode of A Right Royal Podcast, hosts Andrea Caamano, HELLO! editor Emily Nash, and guest Matt Wilkinson, royal editor at The Sun (who first reported the story about Harry’s ‘formal’ visit), discussed how events unfolded and what could happen next.
Emily said of the leaks: “That sort of triggered a kind of war of words between the two sides. And there’s clearly a lot of frustration, both from the King’s camp and Harry’s, over the way things are being played out in the media.”
When asked whether the “war of words” might end soon, Matt said: “We need a period of silence, but the problem is it’s Harry that brings the noise, it’s Harry’s visit that brings the noise, it’s his interview with The Guardian a couple of days later that that brings lots of attention.”
The episode also covers other royal news, including Prince Andrew’s status at Christmas, King Charles’ latest engagement and his special ‘takeaway’ request, and why Prince William’s busy schedule is good news about the Princess of Wales.
Prince Harry responds to ‘categorically false’ claims about 1-hour private meeting with King Charles
The Duke of Sussex has released a response to recent reports surrounding details of his long-awaited reunion with his father
he reunion between Prince Harry and his father, King Charles, is undoubtedly the most discussed royal event of the past couple of months, given that the two had not seen one another in over a year and a half. When the Duke of Sussex joined his father for a private tea at Clarence House, many saw the moment as the beginnings of a reconciliation between the 41-year-old and his family. However, other reports have criticised him for making what they call a ‘tone-deaf’ PR move, and others have said he was taken aback by how formal the meeting turned out to be.
In response to these reports, Prince Harry has released a statement refusing to allow any speculation regarding the tone and events of the private meeting. A spokesperson for the brother of Prince William said: “Recent reporting of The Duke’s view of the tone of the meeting is categorically false.”
© WireImageHe continued, providing a counternarrative for the events of the private meeting: “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.”
The spokesperson concluded: “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.”
Prince Harry’s reunion with King Charles
The Duke of Sussex’s reunion with his father is something he had longed for: an opportunity to finally speak face-to-face, after so long. HELLO! understands that the meeting had been “under consideration” for some time, but that neither side would be drawn in advance on whether it would happen. At the time, Buckingham Palace only confirmed that Prince Harry and his father enjoyed a private tea as the former’s car left the premises, 54 minutes after he had been pictured arriving. Though the meeting was brief, it certainly came as a boost for the husband of Meghan Markle; a source who has known the Duke for many years revealed to HELLO!: “He would like a relationship with his father. There’s no doubt about that.”
The sentiment is also the same on the King’s side. Robert Hardman, King Charles’ biographer, told HELLO!: “Certainly he will be happy that it has happened. I’m sure he would love to see Harry more, and, of course, his grandchildren. I think it’s encouraging that they’ve gone from ‘no speaks’ to a face-to-face meeting, but any longer-term solution would need to be discussed with Prince William as well, and that situation seems to be moving at a very different pace.”
Donald Trump’s most outlandish comments about the royals – including one family member he called ‘terrible’
The King and Queen will host the US President and First Lady Melania Trump for a state visit in Windsor from 17 to 19 September
The King and Queen will host President Donald Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, for an unprecedented second state visit from 17 to 19 September. The now-47th President was previously feted by a state visit in 2019. Mr Trump is renowned for his love of the British royal family, and has boasted that he had “automatic chemistry” with the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The President’s mother, Mary Anne, was born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, and he has two golf resorts in the country, one of which is located a 90-minute drive from the King’s Balmoral estate. Ahead of the three-day state visit, which is expected to include a ceremonial welcome and a state banquet, take a look back at some of Mr Trump’s comments about the royal family, from the controversial to the most flattering.
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© Getty ImagesHarry did not directly talk to Donald Trump during his first state visit to the UK in 2019
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The now-47th American president has been publicly critical of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who live in the US with their children, and warned Harry could face consequences if he lied about taking drugs on his US visa application. He also lambasted the King’s younger son and Meghan, accusing them of treating the late Queen “very disrespectfully”.
But at the start of February, he appeared to rule out deporting Harry, saying: “I’ll leave him alone” and adding: “He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”
Meghan previously labelled Mr Trump “divisive” and a “misogynist”.
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© Getty ImagesThen Prince Charles pictured with the President in June 2019
King Charles
Prime Minister Keir Starmer handed the President a letter from the King inviting him for a second state visit during his visit to the White House in February.
Reacting to the letter, Mr Trump said of Charles: “He’s a beautiful man, a wonderful man and we appreciate – I’ve known him, gotten to know him very well, actually, first term and now second term.
The President and the King may have opposing views on climate change, but during his previous visit to the UK in 2019, Mr Trump said of then Prince Charles: “He is really into climate change and I think that’s great. What he really wants and what he really feels warmly about is the future. He wants to make sure future generations have climate that is good climate, as opposed to a disaster, and I agree.”
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© Getty ImagesMr Trump met Prince William in Paris in December 2024
The Prince of Wales
When Mr Trump met the Prince of Wales in Paris last November after the ceremonial reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, he remarked on William that he was “very handsome” and “some people look better in person”.
As they met at the residence of the British ambassador in the French capital, the President said of the Prince: “He’s doing a fantastic job.”
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© GettyKate attended the US state visit in 2019
The Princess of Wales
After meeting with Prince William in Paris in 2024, Mr Trump told the New York Post that the royal shared health updates on King Charles and Kate.
“I asked him about his wife and he said she’s doing well. And I asked him about his father and his father is fighting very hard, and he loves his father and he loves his wife, so it was sad,” Mr Trump said at the time.
But the former businessman’s tweets about the Princess in the wake of French Closer publishing paparazzi photographs of the then Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing topless on a private holiday in 2012 remain on his public profile.
He tweeted at the time: “Kate Middleton is great–but she shouldn’t be sunbathing in the nude–only herself to blame.”
And then added: “Who wouldn’t take Kate’s picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing. Come on Kate!”
The Prince and Princess were awarded £92,000 in damages in 2017 following a lawsuit against the magazine.
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© John Stillwell – PA ImagesMr Trump reportedly pursued Diana
Diana, Princess of Wales
Mr Trump reportedly used to bombard Diana, Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace with massive bouquets, according to broadcaster Selina Scott, who said he saw the Princess as “the ultimate trophy wife”.
In a Howard Stern radio interview recorded just months after the Princess died in 1997, Mr Trump also branded her “beautiful” but “crazy”.
However, in recent years he has denied pursuing Diana romantically. In an interview with Piers Morgan in 2016, he said: “I did respect her, but no interest from that standpoint. But I did meet her once, and I thought she was lovely.”
Inside Prince Harry’s emotional reunion with King Charles – and future hopes for his children – exclusive
The Duke of Sussex reveals to HELLO! the important value he’s instilling in his kids, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four
t was the reunion the Duke of Sussex had longed for – a chance to talk face to face with his father, whom he had not seen for 19 months. And when he joined the King for a private tea at Clarence House last week, his visit immediately made headlines across the world. The meeting had been “under consideration” for some time, HELLO! understands, and a window left clear in both men’s diaries, but neither side would be drawn in advance on whether it would happen.
Harry’s more relaxed, buoyant demeanour in the days leading up to his visit to Clarence House, however, led some observers to conclude that it was only a matter of time. In the event, Buckingham Palace would only confirm that the Duke had joined his father for a private tea as his car pulled out of the gates, 54 minutes after he had been pictured arriving. It may have been brief, but for Harry, who has made no secret of his desire for reconciliation with his father, the visit came as a welcome boost.
“He would like a relationship with his father. There’s no doubt about that,” says a source who has known Harry for many years.
“I don’t think he’s completely dropped the idea of feeling that he has been wronged in certain ways by the institution, but he would rather the opportunity for reconciliation. With the passing of time, everything softens, especially when close family members are ill; that focuses the mind somewhat. He’s willing to be a bit more at peace with things, rather than battling constantly. It’s taken its toll.”
The King hosted his younger son between an investiture for the Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg and an audience with Peter Malinauskas, the premier of South Australia, having flown back to London from Balmoral for a meeting of the privy council at St James’s Palace.
“Certainly, he will be happy that it has happened,” the King’s biographer Robert Hardman tells HELLO!. “I’m sure he would love to see Harry more, and, of course, his grandchildren.” The author of Charles III: New King, New Court – The Inside Story adds: “I think it’s encouraging that they’ve gone from ‘no speaks’ to a face-to-face meeting, but any longer-term solution would need to be discussed with Prince William as well, and that situation seems to be moving at a very different pace.”
The Prince of Wales is not thought to have had any contact with his brother for the past couple of years, amid the fallout from Harry’s various TV interviews and his memoir, Spare. On the day his brother met Charles, William was carrying out an engagement in Wales. Harry, meanwhile, had his own packed schedule of meetings and engagements to get through, some of them having been many months in the planning.
© Getty ImagesHe had spent that morning at a quarterly meeting with representatives from all of his UK-based charities and organisations, before heading to Imperial College London’s Centre for Blast Injury Studies. There, he announced a $500,000 (£370,000) donation from his Archewell Foundation to projects supporting injured children from Gaza and Ukraine, including helping the World Health Organization with evacuations and work to develop prosthetics. As he left, he told well-wishers: “I have to go; I am so late,” before making his way to Clarence House amid heavy traffic.
© Getty Images for The Invictus GaAfter meeting the King, he arrived almost 40 minutes late for a reception for sponsors and supporters of the Invictus Games Foundation at the Gherkin skyscraper, where he was asked how his father was. “Yes, he’s great, thank you,” he replied. In a speech, he joked about his long journey across London, saying: “I think this whole thing has been delayed slightly, so at this point you’re all hammered – which was part of the plan all along, stuck up here at the top of the Gherkin.”
“He was on great form,” one attendee told HELLO!. “He seemed to be really happy to be there.”
Parenthood changes everything
The Duke had flown into London on 8 September, the third anniversary of the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and travelled straight to Windsor to pay tribute, laying a wreath and flowers at her tomb in the George VI Memorial Chapel at St George’s Chapel. Despite the inevitable jet lag after a long overnight flight, he was full of energy a few hours later, when he arrived at the 20th annual WellChild Awards in central London, heading straight to meet the young winners and their families before the ceremony. Speaking exclusively to HELLO! afterwards, he opened up about how becoming a father had deepened his empathy for the families who are supported by the charity.
© Getty Images“Once you become a parent yourself, everything changes,” he said. “It’s emotional enough, not being a parent and seeing what these families go through. But then when you have your own kids, when you’re expecting your own kids, that’s when it really hits you. I remember one of these years, I choked up on stage, and that was exactly it: I am so grateful to have healthy kids.”
Harry, who has been patron of WellChild for 17 years, also explained why his charity work means so much to him.
“For so many people, helping other people helps you as well,” he told us. “It’s really important for perspective. I personally get so much out of helping other people; certainly that’s what I’ll be teaching my kids and hopefully everybody else does as well.”
For the full interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK now. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
OPINION: The reunion is what he longed for, now Prince Harry needs to rebuild trust with his family
Father and son reunited on Wednesday at Clarence House for the first time in 19 months
It may have been 19 months in the making and just 54 minutes long, but the Duke of Sussex‘s reunion with the King today marked a first step in the family reconciliation he has long hoped for. Prince Harry was driven through the gates of Clarence House at 5.20 to spend time with his father, who had flown back from Balmoral a few hours earlier.
The meeting – a private tea – had been under consideration for some time, but both camps had firmly refused to be drawn on whether it would actually happen.
Only once Harry had departed, ducking down in the back of his car as it pulled out of the gates at 6.14pm, did Buckingham Palace confirm that the reunion had taken place.
The meeting appears to have gone well, with Harry saying of his father: “Yes he’s great, thank you” as he arrived at an Invictus Games event.
This was very much what Harry has been longing for – a chance to see his father face to face and begin to rebuild what has been a very fractured relationship in recent years.
But for a rapprochement to work, it’s vital for the King to know that he can trust his youngest son to keep their discussions private.
The very public airing of private family matters in TV interviews and the pages of his memoir Spare left Harry cut adrift from most of his royal relatives, and his brother the Prince of Wales in particular.
© MirrorpixThe King, who continues to live with cancer, had felt unable to speak to his youngest son while his legal battle with the Home Office over his security provision was ongoing.
But when Harry lost the case, the path to a potential reunion opened up, the likelihood growing stronger when the King’s communications secretary Tobyn Andreae was pictured meeting his Archewell counterparts, Meredith Maines and Liam Maguire back in July.
And while contact between the Duke and his father has been minimal for some time, “the door was never completely shut,” according to one source I spoke to earlier this week.
At the Wellchild Awards on Monday, Harry looked happier and more relaxed on home turf than I’ve seen him for a long time, and is said to be looking forwards, rather than back.
© Getty ImagesLet’s hope this marks a fresh start for the King and his son. As Harry himself said earlier this year, “There’s no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious.”
Melania Trump steps off plane in sleek head-turning look ahead of UK state visit
Melania Trump wore a chic yet understated Burberry look that turned heads as she exited the plane on their trip to the UK
elania Trump traveled in style on Tuesday when she exited Air Force One with her husband, Donald Trump, at London’s Stansted Airport ahead of their UK state visit. The First Lady looked chic in a sand-colored, double-breasted Burberry coat that fell to her ankles and cinched in at the waist with the collar turned up. Underneath, she wore a black shirt and sleek Dior Empreinte riding boots that came up to her knee. The mother of one wore her brunette locks down in subtle waves as she walked beside Donald, marking their first state visit to the country since 2019.
Upon departing the plane, Donald shared that the pair had a “great flight”, adding that their relationship with the UK was “outstanding”. The President is a fan of the royals and shared his admiration for King Charles III, declaring, “They’re friends of mine for a long time, long before he was king. And it’s an honor to have him as king.”
“I think he represents the country so well. I’ve watched, he’s such an elegant gentleman, and he represents the country so well,” he continued. “We’re going to see him tomorrow, and he’s been a friend of mine for a long time – and everybody respects him and they love him.” The state visit is set to take place over two days at Windsor, and will culminate in a lavish state banquet on Wednesday night with approximately 160 guests.
Prince William and Princess Kate are expected to attend, as are other senior members of the royal family. During their visit, Kate is scheduled to take Melania around Frogmore Gardens in Windsor, where they will be joined by the UK Scoutmaster Dwayne Fields and members of the Scouts’ Squirrels program. The Slovenian native will also visit Queen Mary’s Doll House and the Royal Library at Windsor Castle with Queen Camilla.
Donald’s daughter, Tiffany Trump, and her husband, Michael Boulos, also boarded Air Force One to accompany him on the trip to the UK, which marks the first time that an elected leader has been granted two state visits. “This is an unprecedented and very special state visit. This has never been done before, and there’ll be many elements of it that have never been seen before,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a speech.
© Getty Images“So this is going to be a historic occasion, and we’re all very much looking forward to it, and I was very, very pleased to be able to put forward the invitation when we were at the White House earlier this year. So this is not just a state visit. They’re always incredible occasions. This is an unprecedented second state visit, so you can imagine just how special that’s going to be.”
© Getty ImagesDonald and Melania last toured the UK for an official state visit in 2019, led by Queen Elizabeth II. Speaking to reporters in April 2025, the 79-year-old revealed his deep admiration for the royal family and his excitement at returning to England. “I was invited by the King and the country – great country,” he declared.
© Getty Images“They’re going to do a second, as you know, a second fest…that’s what it is: a fest, and it’s beautiful, and it’s the first time it’s ever happened to one person.” He added that he had “great respect for the family” and was looking forward to his stay.
