Although Prince Harry has been vocal about wanting to reunite with his family, there is one royal he needs to make peace with before King Charles will welcome him back.
Videos by Suggest
According to royal author Catherine Mayer, in order for him to reconcile with his father, Prince Harry must reconcile with his stepmother, Queen Camilla.
“She is a non-negotiable part of Charles’ life,” Mayer told PEOPLE. “There is no reconciliation with him without her.”
Prince Harry met with his father and stepmother during his recent UK visit. It was the first time in four years that the King had seen the prince’s wife, Meghan Markle, and their children.
“It is better that people don’t know anything about these meetings,” a royal insider said. “They should be allowed to rekindle those family ties.”
Prince Harry has been estranged from his family following the release of his memoir, Spare. In the book, the prince detailed his life and the relationships he has with royal family members.
Prince Harry Previously Spoke About His Relationship With Queen Camilla
During a 2023 interview with Good Morning America, Prince Harry spoke about the relationship he had with his stepmother.
“We haven’t spoken for a long time. I love every member of my family, despite the differences,” he said. “So when I see her, we’re perfectly pleasant with each other. She’s my stepmother.”
However, Prince Harry dismissed any ill-will remarks about his stepmother.
“I don’t look at her as an evil stepmother,” he clarified. “I see someone who married into this institution, and done everything she can to improve her own reputation and her own image, for her own sake.”
Camilla was thrown into the spotlight in the early ’90s after her affair with then-Prince Charles made headlines. At the time, Charles was married to Prince Harry and Prince William’s mother, Princess Diana. Charles and Camilla married nearly a decade after Diana died in a fatal car crash in Paris.
“She had a reputation or an image to rehabilitate,” Prince Harry said about Queen Camilla during his Good Morning America interview. “And whatever conversations happened, whatever deals or trading was made right at the beginning, she was led to believe that that would be the best way to doing it.”