Royal expert Jennie Bond has unpacked the potential upcoming reunion between Harry and Charles, underlying the one major issue that could put a halt to the anticipated reconciliation
With rumours emerging that Prince Harry will reunite with King Charles when he returns to UK shores for the WellChild Awards in September, royal expert Jennie Bond believes the potential reunion could hit a major snag.
The Duke of Sussex ’s rare trip to England will coincide with the third anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth on September 8, and while sources claim Harry will have a meeting with Charles, Jennie Bond believes it’s possible Charles will be out of the country to mark the sombre day.
The former BBC royal correspondent also told the Mirror that a reconciliation, while it still hasn’t been confirmed, is long overdue between the estranged father and son.
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She said: “I will say that a meeting between Harry and his father is long overdue. I have always thought that it is the parent’s role to be the bigger person in any family row: you just have to open your arms and say to your child – albeit a grown-up child – ‘Come here you silly so-and-so, and give me a hug’.”
Jennie admitted that this is easier said than done when talking about the royal family, given the spate of public jabs since Harry and Meghan left the Firm in 2020. She also claimed Harry’s battle for UK security may have played a part in extending the long-running feud.
“That, though, simply hasn’t been possible while Harry was suing his father‘s own government over his security demands,” she said. “Now that that court case is over, a major obstacle to a meeting has been cleared.”
“So, particularly given that we know that the communications teams from each side have met fairly recently and that therefore an avenue of communication is open, a meeting when Harry is here for the Well Child Awards could hopefully happen.”
Despite Harry sharing his desire to reunite with his father in a tell-all interview with the BBC in May, Jennie Bond believes that Charles may travel outside of England on the same day of Harry’s charity engagement.
Jennie said: “We have all become quite used to Harry coming and going without seeing his family. His visits are generally extremely brief and the King is usually up in Scotland for the anniversary of his mother‘s death. So arranging a meeting may not be straightforward.”
When asked if Harry is likely to reach out to any other members of his family during his rare trip to the UK, Jennie speculated: “Harry may well see some of his cousins – such as Eugenie or Beatrice – but I don’t think there’s any likelihood of a meeting with William or Catherine. The rift between the brothers remains too deep and William has far too much going on in his life to worry about the Harry problem.
“I would never say never in a family dispute. As the years roll by, it may be that William will find a way to reconcile with Harry. But that day – if it ever comes, and it may not – is not any time soon.”
While there have been numerous factors contributing to why William has seemingly no desire to mend the bridge with Harry, Jennie Bond believes the rumours of a potential documentary on Princess Diana – commissioned by Prince Harry as part of his new Netflix deal – could only prolong the rift.
She said: “How sad it would be if Harry decided to go it alone on another film about her. He shared that agonising loss with his brother. They were in shock together, they grieved together, they walked side by side behind her coffin.
“A solo film by Harry would simply underline the bitter feud with his brother and would antagonise the rest of the family. I suspect these reports are just rumours and wishful thinking by Netflix. I doubt whether Harry would really want to commercialise his mother‘s life and death.”
