Harry and Meghan have returned to the UK a few times for big royal occasions despite their status as non-working members of the Firm, last year for the Platinum Jubilee in June and then for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September.
It was also confirmed in the lead-up to the Coronation that Harry had accepted his invitation to attend one of the most important days of his father’s life, with one insider describing a mood of “genuine co-operation” between Buckingham Palace and the Sussexes, reported The Telegraph.
However the Duke was barely seen as he made a whistle-stop trip to London, flying back as soon as the ceremony in Westminster Abbey had wrapped up to celebrate Prince Archie’s fourth birthday at home.
He apparently did not speak to his father or brother at all while at the Coronation, and also avoided them during his two recent trips to London as part of his court cases against the press.
A royal commentator has stated that while some of the “frostiness” between the two parties had eased, the King is in “no hurry whatsoever to bury the hatchet”.
Camilla Tominey added: “The emergence of a letter written by Meghan to the King, expressing her concerns about unconscious bias in the Royal family, seems to have put paid to any imminent hope of reconciliation.”
Family pictures of Harry, Meghan, Archie and Princess Lilibet still adorn Clarence House, suggesting the King and Queen Camilla harbour hopes for a reconciliation.
An insider said: “Under the circumstances, you might think that the pictures would be moved, but they’ve still got pride of place. To all outward appearances, they still seem to be a very happy family.”
While the Firm had begun to “come with terms” with allegations made about the royals in the Sussexes interview with Oprah Winfrey, the publication of Harry’s memoir Spare in January “took everything right back to square one”.
A source claimed: “There’s a sense of high irritation about everything they’ve done.
“The Netflix documentary was viewed as largely anodyne and nothing much to worry about – it’s the book that, for the family, has really cemented the view that all Harry ever seems to want to do is air his unhappiness.
“There’s not a lot of trust left to allow the family to maintain a good and open relationship. How do you speak openly without it ending up in volume two?”
