'A difficult and delicate task': Royal expert on Prince Harry's big mistake after meeting with King Charles

Prince Harry's meeting with his father, King Charles, for tea had many hoping this was the first step towards a reconciliation.

The meeting in September was brief, lasting just 55 minutes and was the first time they had seen each other in person since the King was diagnosed with cancer in early 2024. 

While very few details about the meeting have been made public, some reports suggested Harry found the meeting very formal and he issued a blistering statement in response.

But a royal expert believes the duke should have just kept quiet, even if the reports are wrong. 

In the wake of reports flying about the formal meeting and claims that Harry had handed over a gift, believed to be a framed photo of his children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, he hit back.

In a statement to People, the Duke of Sussex's spokesperson said, "Recent reporting of The Duke's view of the tone of the meeting is categorically false."

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In the September 27 statement, they maintained that the quotes claiming that the meeting was very formal were from "sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son", who have likely been given gifts in exchange for their words.

Royal expert Jennie Bond says Harry should have kept quiet about details of the meeting, even if it felt like the reports were wrong. 

"I think the most critical thing to remember about all of this is that at the heart of all the noise, there is a father and son trying to repair their relationship. It is a difficult and delicate task," she told The Mirror. 

"And the one fact we can clearly state is that no one except Charles, Harry and their immediate circle knows what went on during that meeting at Clarence House." 

She believes that things have backfired with Harry getting his team to issue the statement, because it draws even more attention to their "very private" meeting. 

"We know absolutely nothing about what was said, how they felt or the atmosphere of the meeting. And that is how it should remain," she added.

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