Prince Harry ‘told by King Charles he cannot be half-in, half-out royal’

Any suggestion that the prince could return in a more formal capacity has been rejected by palace sources

Prince Harry will not be able to have a “half-in, half-out” role within the royal family should he wish to return to the UK more often, according to reports.

During his visit to the UK to perform charity work earlier this month, the Duke of Sussex met with his father King Charles for the first time in 19 months.

He spent around 55 minutes at Clarence House having a “private tea” with the monarch, whose relationship with his younger son has been strained since Harry’s departure as a working royal in 2020. However, any suggestion that the prince could return in a more formal capacity has been rejected by palace sources.

“The King has been absolutely clear in upholding his late mother’s decision that there can be no ‘half-in, half-out’ public role for members of the family,” a royal source told The Times.

Prince Harry arrives at Clarence House to meet his father (AFP/Getty)

It is understood that Harry is not seeking such an arrangement, and is happy with his life in California with his wife Meghan and their two children Archie and Lilibet.

A spokesperson for Harry told The Times: “The duke has made it clear that the focus has to be on his dad. Beyond that, and on any other issues as it relates to his family, we won’t be commenting.”

During an interview with the BBC in May, after he lost his High Court appeal to have his security reinstated, the prince said he “would love” to reconcile with his family.

The Duke of Sussex pictured during a visit to a community recording studio in Nottingham earlier this month (Getty)

He said: “I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.”

He last saw the King during a brief visit in February 2024, after the 76-year-old announced his cancer diagnosis. The Mail on Sunday has now reported that Buckingham Palace and the Sussex staff are “tentatively discussing” a thawing of relations between the pair, which could see them “appearing jointly at a public event”.

This could include the King potentially appearing at the Invictus Games in Birmingham in 2027.

Harry also travelled to Ukraine to boost the morale of injured service personnel (Reuters)

During his recent four-day trip to the UK, Harry attended the WellChild Awards, of which he is a patron, and made a £1.1m personal donation to Children in Need during an event in Nottingham.

He then flew to Ukraine where his Invictus Games Foundation is helping the recovery and rehabilitation of thousands of veterans who have suffered life-changing injuries during the war.

In an interview with The Guardian, whose journalists accompanied him on the trip, he was unrepentant when asked about his previous criticism of the monarchy.

He said: “I don’t believe that I aired my dirty laundry in public. It was a difficult message, but I did it in the best way possible. My conscience is clear.”

After announcing that he and his wife were stepping down as working royals, the couple went on to give an interview to Oprah Winfrey and release a Netflix documentary, and he also published a tell-all memoir, Spare, which contained a number of damaging allegations about the royal family.