Prince Harry has ‘no plans’ ever to move back to Britain despite recent hopes of a reconciliation with King Charles, the Mail can reveal.
Following news of a secret peace summit between aides of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and his father, it was thought the Windsor family feud could be resolved, paving a way for the prince to return to the UK.
However friends of Harry and Meghan have said the couple are ‘very happy’ in California and are never likely to return.
A source, who is close to Harry, 40, said: ‘They’re very happy living in and raising their family in California and, as it stands, have no plans to leave.’
Last week the Mail on Sunday revealed that the King’s aide Tobyn Andreae met for drinks with the head of Harry’s household in Montecito, California, Meredith Maines, and her colleague Liam Maguire, who runs the Sussexes’ PR team in the UK, at a London private members’ club.
It was thought to be the first meeting between the feuding sides of the family in years.
A source said: ‘Everyone just wants to move on and move forward now. It was finally the right time for the two sides to talk.’
It prompted speculation that there was a way for Harry to return to the House of Windsor after he and the Duchess of Sussex left the UK and stepped back from official royal duties in 2020.
But the source close to Harry has now appeared to slam the door on the notion that Harry and Meghan might re-establish themselves in the UK.
The rendezvous came after Ms Maines, who was appointed head of Harry’s household in California in March, flew to the UK for a series of meetings with businesses, charitable partners and journalists.
The Mail understands it was subsequently suggested a meeting with Buckingham Palace’s director of communications, Mr Andreae, might be possible while she was in the country.
While wary, it is understood the Palace believed a meeting was sensible to re-open lines of communication with the latest Sussex PR team.
Senior officials on all sides have declined to say whether Prince William’s team at Kensington Palace knew the meeting was going ahead, even if they were not represented.
When they left Britain, a statement from the Sussexes said that they would divide their time between the UK and North America. At the time, they were living in a house in Vancouver, Canada.
But the idea of cross-continental living rapidly became untenable amid the huge rift between Harry and his family and due to the Duke’s concern over his personal safety.
He and Meghan officially vacated Frogmore Cottage in Windsor – their wedding gift from the Queen – in 2023.
Sources say that he will come over for visits to support his charitable causes and patronages but there are no plans for wife Meghan to accompany him. There is no question of a full return to the UK for him or the family.
Harry has repeatedly said that he doesn’t believe that Meghan is safe in the UK. In May he lost his appeal against a decision not to automatically give him police protection which was taken by the Ravec committee at the Home Office.
In an interview after he lost, Harry said he ‘would love a reconciliation’ with the Royal Family, but that the King ‘won’t speak to me because of this security stuff’.
The Duke called the decision an ‘old-fashioned establishment stitch-up’ and suggested his father could have resolved the situation.
Charles is said to be hopeful of a reunion with his younger son and that he might yet build a relationship with his two grandchildren, six-year-old Prince Archie and four-year-old Princess Lilibet.
Last month, The Mail on Sunday revealed that The Duke of Sussex had decided to extend an olive branch to the Royal Family by inviting them to the 2027 Invictus Games, which will be held in Birmingham.
Last year, reports circulated that the Duke of Sussex had begun consulting with old friends from the UK about how to mastermind a return from exile. At the time, sources said that Harry was consulting with people ‘from his old life’ as a working royal after allegedly growing dissatisfied with advice from American-based image experts.
During his BBC interview, the Duke expressed uncertainty about ‘how much longer my father has left,’ sparking criticism for fuelling speculation about the 76-year-old monarch’s health.
Harry admitted that he didn’t expect forgiveness across the board from his family, saying, ‘Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book [his autobiography, Spare].’
Despite this, he expressed a clear desire for a rapprochement, saying, ‘I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight any more.”
