Claims the Duke of Sussex was surprised his recent meeting with the King was “distinctly formal” are “categorically false” and may be the result of people “intent on sabotaging” a reconciliation, his spokesman has suggested.
He reunited with the King on September 10, for the first time in 19 months.
A report in The Sun on Saturday suggested their private tea at Clarence House had been “distinctly formal” and left the duke, who stepped down as a senior working royal in 2020, joking he felt more like an “official visitor” than a family member.
He handed his father a framed picture of his children, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, it was reported.
A spokesman for the Duke of Sussex said: “Recent reporting of the duke’s view of the tone of the meeting is categorically false.
“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.”
The duke has previously expressed his hopes of reconciliation with his family amid his belief they may never forgive him after his public accusations.
In a move being viewed as a significant but tentative step towards repairing their troubled relationship, Harry joined Charles for a private tea earlier this month, spending 54 minutes with his father at Clarence House after not seeing him face to face for 19 months.
The duke last saw the King in February 2024 when he made a transatlantic dash from his Californian home to the UK to see Charles following his cancer diagnosis.
He levelled a barrage of accusations at the King, his stepmother the Queen, brother the Prince of Wales and sister-in-law the Princess of Wales in his Oprah Winfrey interview, Netflix documentary, interviews and his autobiography Spare since moving to the US.
The duke remains estranged from the Prince of Wales.
The once close brothers’ long-standing rift shows no sign of healing, with the two not meeting during Harry’s four-day UK stay this month which included charity engagements and catching up with old friends and colleagues.
The Sun said the duke had been contacted and later confirmed aspects of its reporting.
A spokesman for The Sun said: “In his statement, Prince Harry confirms the exchange of gifts, including a family photograph.
“The office of the Duke of Sussex was given full right of reply yesterday in advance of publication and opted not to give a response to The Sun’s carefully sourced account of the meeting.”
