King Charles and Prince Harry’s senior aides have held a secret peace summit, The Mail on Sunday can reveal, marking the first significant move to resolving their rancorous family feud.
Sources said last week’s meeting was the initial step in a ‘rapprochement process’ to restore the broken relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the rest of the Royal Family.
Aptly, the talks were held at a London private members’ club that champions international friendship, and whose patron is the King.
It is not known whether it was Charles or Harry who extended the olive branch, but insiders said the summit is the strongest sign yet of the determination on both sides to resolve the bitter House of Windsor feud.
‘There’s a long road ahead, but a channel of communication is now open for the first time in years,’ said a source. ‘There was no formal agenda, just casual drinks. There were things both sides wanted to talk about.’
Harry was represented by Meredith Maines, his chief communications officer and head of his household in Montecito, California, who flew in from Los Angeles.
She met Tobyn Andreae, the King’s communications secretary, at the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) a three-minute walk from Clarence House, the monarch’s London residence.
Also present was Liam Maguire, who runs the Sussexes’ PR team in the UK.
It was Ms Maines who organised Harry’s BBC interview in May in which he 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 was referring to the removal of his automatic police security detail in Britain, which he called an ‘old-fashioned establishment stitch-up’ and suggested his father could have resolved the situation.
Despite this adding to a history of wounding remarks, Charles was still 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.
Ms Maines, wearing a sleeveless cream jacket and high heels and carrying a black Louis Vuitton bag, arrived at the club by taxi with Mr Maguire at 3.50pm on Wednesday. Mr Andreae turned up several minutes later carrying a gift from Berry Bros & Rudd, the wine and spirits merchant which has been supplying the Royal Family since 1760.
The trio were later seen chatting over drinks in the 26C (78F) sunshine on the club’s first-floor garden terrace overlooking Green Park.
After ten minutes they got up and resumed their discussions inside. The source said the summit was only the ‘first step towards reconciliation between Harry and his father, but at least it is a step in the right direction.
‘Everyone just wants to move on and move forward now. It was finally the right time for the two sides to talk.’
Founded in 1910, the Grade I-listed ROSL was an apposite choice of venue. It is dedicated to ‘fostering international friendship and understanding’. Its website says its members ‘benefit from the club’s stunning interior design and restoration combined with historic features and architecture whilst enjoying a world of dining, events, arts and accommodation all under one roof.’
Ms Maines – who was also in the UK to meet her British-based team for the first time since she was appointed as the Sussexes’ first chief communications officer on March 3 – flew back to the US after the meeting.
She is understood to have reported straight to the Duke. She is based at the Sussexes’ £15 million mansion, from where they conduct their affairs, rather than using a separate office.
A seasoned Silicon Valley strategist with past roles at Google and a software company, Ms Maines spends most days at Meghan and Harry’s home managing their day-to-day operations and overseeing a team of eight staff.
She is the most senior aide in the newly formed ‘Sussex Royal Household’, which was formed last month in a bid to emulate the rigid hierarchical structure Harry operated in when he was a working member of the family at Kensington Palace.
Ms Maines is said to have masterminded the unveiling of the duchess’s Netflix show With Love, Meghan, and her lifestyle brand As Ever.
Mr Maguire, who, like Harry, is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, has worked on projects associated with the Invictus Games for wounded service personnel since Harry launched it in 2014.
The Windsor feud began shortly after Harry and Meghan moved to California and gave an explosive interview to US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.
The Duchess described approaching Harry and the Royal Family, seeking help with suicidal thoughts during her pregnancy.
‘I just didn’t want to be alive any more,’ she said. ‘And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. And I remember – I remember how he [Harry] just cradled me.’
Meghan said she asked a senior royal about the possibility of seeking help and was told that would not be possible because it ‘wouldn’t be good for the institution’.
Harry further claimed that while his wife was pregnant, a member of his family had expressed ‘concerns’ to him about the baby’s skin colour.
Insiders said Harry’s memoir, Spare, was the final straw for his brother William, as it made public claims such as a physical fight the pair are said to have had over
Harry’s relationship with Meghan. The Royal Family responded with expressions of empathy, couched with the now infamous line: ‘Recollections may vary.’
Last year, The Mail on Sunday revealed 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.
The overtures signified the first stage in a strategy to ‘rehabilitate’ Harry that he hoped would
involve him spending more time in the UK to repair his relationship with his father.
But 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. Of course, they will never forgive me for… lots of things.’
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.’
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.
He is said to be hopeful that the event could spell the end of his self-imposed exile in California, and mark a return to the royal fold. Meanwhile there are still hurdles to overcome with Harry’s Home Office battle over security.
After stepping back from royal duties in 2020, Harry lost his automatic taxpayer-funded police protection, but has fiercely contested the decision, insisting that he and his family are at risk whenever they visit the UK.
He maintains that if his father would only ‘step out of the way’ he could get his police protection back.
In the BBC interview, Harry accused his father of standing in the way of his fight for protection.
The issue became emblematic of the deep mistrust that now defines his relationship with his father and the wider royal household –but which may now, finally, be beginning to thaw.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor the Sussex’s representatives would comment on the meeting.
