Royal expert warns reconciliation remains unlikely as wounds run deep and Meghan's influence looms
While recent developments suggest Prince Harry and King Charles may be taking cautious steps toward reconciliation, royal experts warn that any peace between father and son is still far from secure.
The Duke of Sussex's potential meeting with his father has reignited speculation about the possibility of healing the long-standing rift — but questions remain about whether the relationship can ever truly recover.
Royal commentator Charles Rae, speaking to GB News, cast doubt on the outcome of the talks, calling the situation “fragile” and cautioning against premature optimism. “Let’s not get the flags and the bunting out just yet — we have a long, long way to go,” Rae said.
His comments come after unconfirmed reports that Harry's new chief communications officer, Meredith Maines, along with Sussex UK public relations head Liam Maguire, met privately with the King's communications secretary, Tobyn Andreae — a widely viewed meeting as a tentative step toward reestablishing contact.
However, Rae believes there are still major obstacles in the way. “There are a couple of huge flies in the ointment here, and one is Meghan,” he said, referring to the Duchess of Sussex’s strained relationship with the royal household.
"Is she going to agree to anything that smoothes the troubled waters that have happened over the last five years? I'm not so sure," Rae added.
He also highlighted the broken bond between Harry and Prince William as another major challenge, pointing to the Prince of Wales as the most emotionally affected figure in the saga. “Of all the people in all this, he is the one who feels, in my view, most hurt by what has happened between him and his brother,” Rae noted. “And there’s only one person he is blaming, and that is Meghan.”
According to Rae, the Sussexes' past actions — including the Oprah Winfrey interview and the claims made in their Netflix docuseries and Harry's memoir Spare — remain difficult for the Royal Family to forgive or forget.
“These are things you're going to have to really be hard-nosed to forget about,” he said. “You can't pull these back and say it was a joke, boss, we didn't really mean it at all.”
As the monarchy navigates this delicate chapter, it remains to be seen whether genuine reconciliation is possible — or if the scars of the past will continue to divide King Charles and his younger son.
