Prince Harry has spoken publicly about his fractured relationship with the royals in recent years. The Duke of Sussex relocated to the US, where he now lives with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two young children. In his Netflix docu-series, Harry & Meghan, as well as throughout his best-selling memoir, Spare, Harry detailed the breakdown of his relationship with his father – but the Duke’s candid interviews reportedly left the King feeling ‘frustrated’ and he then declined to take his son’s calls.
Harry hadn’t seen the King since the announcement of his cancer diagnosis in February 2024, but the Prince spoke about his desire for reconciliation with his father during an interview with the BBC in May, stating: “There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.” Two months later, aides from both sides were spotted in London engaging in ‘peace talks’.
During Harry’s visit to the UK in September, he did meet with King Charles and even offered a meaningful gift – a framed photograph. A spokesperson for Harry later confirmed: “While we would have preferred such details to remain private, for the sake of clarity we can confirm that a framed photograph was handed over, however the image did not contain the duke and duchess.”
In photos obtained by the Mirror, King Charles has framed pictures of Harry and Meghan throughout one of his royal residences. According to the publication, the images can be seen on display at his official Northern Irish residence, Hillsborough Castle, and they include a photograph of Harry and Meghan’s engagement, as well as an image of the couple alongside the King, Queen, Prince William and Princess Kate, taken for King Charles’ 70th birthday. This has been interpreted as a subtle olive branch from the monarch to the Sussexes after years of estrangement.
A source told the paper: “Royal Historic Palaces make decisions on what they believe to be appropriate. They are also guided by members of The Royal Family, but the decision over what pictures of the family to use ultimately lies with the King.”
Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors, by Tom Bower
This was branded as one of the most ‘explosive’ royal biographies in recent years, detailing the fallout between the monarchy, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Entitled: the Rise and Fall of the House of York, by Andrew Lownie
This new biography unpacks the life of Prince Andrew, and been touted as ‘the most devastating royal biography ever written’.
It isn’t the first time that the royals and their choice of family photographs has piqued the interest of royal fans. In late 2019, shortly before their royal departure, a framed photo of Harry and Meghan had been removed from a table in Buckingham Palace. As per the report in the Mirror, it was noted that the King does not currently display any photographs of his brother, Prince Andrew, at the property.