Prince Harry Is 'Preparing' to Meet Royal Family Face-to-Face After Begging to Make Amends with 'Dying' Dad King Charles Following Years of Estrangement
Sept. 3 2025, Published 6:01 p.m. ET
Prince Harry's upcoming trip to London is already fraught with controversy, as he prepares to potentially meet with his estranged royal relatives who are wary of the wayward Duke of Sussex, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Harry, 40, will be on hand for the WellChild Awards on September 8, which coincides with the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death. The royal family will likely still be on their summer vacation at Scotland's Balmoral Castle, making the logistics of a reunion even more challenging.
'No Appetite for Confrontation'
Meghan Markle hasn't set foot in England since Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in 2022.
"Harry’s team is pushing for an answer, but Palace insiders stress that diaries are ‘tight’ due to the family’s gathering at Balmoral, and there is nervousness about what Harry might expect," an insider revealed about talks to get the duke together with his father, King Charles III, who is battling cancer.
"There’s no appetite for confrontation. But equally, they know Harry is determined – and that makes things tricky," the souce spilled.
The prospect of Harry's wife, "Diva Duchess" Meghan Markle, joining him on the trip has further complicated the situation. She hasn't returned to England since 2022, and the queen died during their visit. The duo ended up staying through the period of mourning and the subsequent funeral.
Markle's presence would complicate the situation, as according to the source, there are disagreements about whether she should be present if Harry meets with the king and whether Prince William would agree to join them.
'Every Side Has Conditions'
Harry remains deeply estranged from his brother and sister-in-law after trashing them in his memoir.
"It’s like trying to organize a political summit. Every side has conditions, and unless they can all agree, it risks falling apart completely," the insider dished.
Harry remains estranged from his brother, William, and his wife, Kate Middleton. The last time the three were in the same place was for Charles' coronation in May 2023, although Harry was seated several rows back and had no interaction with the couple.
"One of the most sensitive sticking points is whether Harry should meet with William and Kate. Harry has always felt Kate was a bridge between him and William. If he can get her on side and win her over, he feels the rest will follow," said the source.
Meghan's 'Fraught' Situation
Markle has little interest in joining her husband on his upcoming trip to London.
While Harry may want his wife by his side, the With Love, Meghan star has little interest in being part of his royal drama.
“For Meghan, the situation is even more fraught. Friends say she feels any trip to the UK would reopen old wounds and put her in the firing line. Meghan absolutely doesn’t want to be seen as the problem all over again. She’s put her foot down and made it quite clear that Harry must do this on his own,” the source adds.
The former Suits star already lobbed a fresh diss at the royal family in a recent interview.
“It was different several years ago, where I couldn’t be as vocal and I had to wear nude pantyhose all the time,” Markle complained about royal protocol and declared it was "not very myself," and felt "inauthentic.”
“Right now, I don’t feel that I need to prove anything,” the As ever founder bragged about her current freedom from royal life.
She and Harry sensationally stepped down as senior working royals in 2020, less than two years after their lavish May 2018 wedding, and moved to California.
'It Could All Collapse'
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Harry told the BBC in May that he would 'love a reconciliation' with his family.
Harry told the BBC in May that he would "love a reconciliation" with his family, adding, "there's no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious."
However, the duke failed to acknowledge that his actions had played a significant role in his estrangement from the other royals, including Harry and Markle's 2022 blistering tell-all Netflix docuseries and his 2023 memoir, Spare, in which he lobbed plenty of fury at his royal relatives.
“He knows this could be the last real chance to sort things out, that’s why he’s so determined. But with Meghan’s attendance hanging in the balance, and the Palace dragging its heels, there’s every chance it could all collapse. And that would devastate him,” the source shared.
The insider added, “Meghan doesn’t see the point in walking back into the lion’s den. Harry wants Meghan by his side – he feels stronger with her there – but Meghan thinks she’d be walking into a trap. The Palace doesn’t particularly want her there either, which makes things even more complicated.”
