Prince Harry makes first comments after meeting King Charles: What really went on inside their 55-minute 'private tea'

ANALYSIS: It was the reunion that had become the focal point of Prince Harry's UK return: a 55-minute meeting with King Charles inside Clarence House, their first face to face interaction in 19 months.

Father and son, whose relationship has been strained in the five years since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left their royal duties for a life of financial freedom in the US, spoke over tea on Wednesday evening just one day before Prince Harry was due to return to California.

The gathering appears to be the first step toward healing the long-running rift, but what exactly was said in those 55 minutes will now be the subject of much debate, raising two very important questions: will anything meaningful come of this and – crucially – will Prince Harry ever see his estranged brother again?

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Prince Harry arrived in the UK on Monday for a series of events across four days.

But much of the talk surrounding visit – his first since April – was on whether he would reunite with the King.

After losing his court battle with the government to reinstate his state-funded security in May, Prince Harry told the BBC he would "love a reconciliation" with his family.

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But Harry self-sabotaged his attempt to make peace with the King by admitting in that interview that he had no idea how long the King had left to live, in reference to the monarch's cancer battle.

His comment is said to have caused upset within Buckingham Palace.

Harry's legal battle over his security also antagonised his father, and courtiers, as he suggested the King should have intervened on his behalf to help broker a suitable arrangement.

Charles "won't speak to me because of this security stuff," Harry told the BBC.

The King was said to have been worried about being dragged into the case and resisted speaking to his son out of fear of his words being repeated in public, placing him in legal jeopardy.

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Prince Harry's return to London without his wife Meghan, or their two children, relates to his security. He previously said that given the current arrangement "I can't see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK".

But now that legal saga is over, in the courts at least, the foundation of a reunion was laid.

Rumours of a possible thawing in relations came in July when representatives from the King's team, and Harry's team, met at a pub near Buckingham Palace which was quickly dubbed the 'secret peace summit'.

The first signs of movement of an olive branch being extended for real came when the King was seen boarding a plane to London from Balmoral Castle on Wednesday afternoon, arriving at Clarence House around 4pm.

Prince Harry was then seen in the back of a car being driven through the gates of the King's London residence at 5.20pm.

He left at 6.13pm, their meeting – described as a "private tea" by Buckingham Palace – lasted 55 minutes.

The King then held an audience with South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas.

Prince Harry was driven to a reception for Invictus Games supporters in London, where he was asked about the King.

"Yes he's great, thank you," Prince Harry told the well-wisher.

As for revealing exactly what was said between father and son inside Clarence House, it's likely the public will never know.

One real fear the King had about meeting his son was having their conversation made public, with various friends or sources close to the Sussexes often speaking to the media on the couple's behalf – something that has irked the palace.

For now, the truth about what was said in those 55 minutes will remain between father and son.

And if Prince Harry has any real hopes of seeing a substantial breakthrough in their relationship, he would be best to keep quiet.

Prince Harry's meeting with the King will undoubtedly raise questions about whether it could ultimately lead to a reunion with Prince William.

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Prince William is said to hold an enormous amount of bitterness towards his younger brother, and some would say rightly so, because of all Harry – and his wife Meghan – have said about the royal family since 2020.

Royal observers are hopeful of a brotherly reunion happening one day, but for now the Duke of Sussex should be content to have made a breakthrough with his father after a very, and cold, long silence.

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