Prince Harry, Meghan Markle ‘frustrated’ after secret peace meeting with King Charles aide is leaked
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are believed to be “frustrated” after the details of a secret meeting with senior aides for Charles and Prince Harry were leaked.
Last Wednesday, in the first steps to “rapprochement”, the King’s communications secretary Tobyn Andrae was spotted meeting with Harry and Markle’s media advisors, Meredith Maines and Liam Maguire.
The trio met at the Royal Over-Seas League near Clarence House, a private club where the King is patron.
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Both Harry and the King are believed to be open to resolving their rift, which began in 2020 when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down from senior royal duties and fled to the United States.
The publication of Prince Harry’s controversial memoir Spare and the couple’s infamous Oprah interview further drove a wedge between the father and son.
However, according to a source, Harry and Meghan weren’t thrilled to find out the details of the unexpected rendezvous and a potential reconciliation were splashed across newspapers.
The meeting, which was organised in a bid to start afresh, could now all be unravelled if there is an inkling of distrust from either side, The Telegraph reports.
Sources close to Harry insisted that the Sussexes were not behind the leak.
“There’s a long road ahead, but a channel of communication is now open for the first time in years,” a source told The Daily Mail.
“There was no formal agenda, just casual drinks. There were things both sides wanted to talk about.”
The source said the summit was just a “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.”
Ms Maines was the mastermind behind the launch of Meghan Markle’s Netflix show With Love, Meghan and her lifestyle brand As Ever.
She also organised Harry’s bombshell BBC interview in May where the Prince expressed his desire to reconcile hours after losing a court fight over security arrangements.
“I would love reconciliation with my family,” Harry said. “Life is precious. 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.”
Buckingham Palace is yet to comment on the meeting.
