bitchy | Prince Harry claps back on the Sun’s curious insider story of his Clarence House visit

On September 10, Prince Harry traveled from his event at Imperial College London’s Centre for Blast Injury Studies to Clarence House. King Charles’s courtiers tipped off the press, and dozens of photographers and royal rota were waiting outside of Clarence House to catch a glimpse of Harry’s SUV being waved in. Harry met with his father for less than an hour. It was the first time Charles and Harry had been in the same room since February 2024. Harry has said very little about the meeting, and when he spoke to the Guardian in Ukraine, he spoke in generalities about wanting to visit the UK more often, especially over the next year.

Harry has kept up his end of the discount struck with Charles, the discount being “Harry can’t talk about Charles or the meeting, but Charles and his rancid courtiers can freely brief about it.” Add to all of this, Prince William has been having a nervous breakdown over Harry’s UK visit and Clarence House meeting ever since, and William and his courtiers can’t shut about it. There are at least two royal courts (Charles and William) doing the most to impose their narratives about Harry, his UK trip, the meeting and what it all means. Don’t forget about Camilla, spreading her rottweiler narratives as well. On Friday, the Sun dropped their big exclusive about “what happened at the meeting,” with sources claiming to have insider information from Harry’s side. Harry’s spokesperson furiously issued a statement within hours of the Sun’s publication, so the Sun basically had to rewrite their piece to include Harry’s denials. Some highlights:

Harry the official visitor: The reunion of Prince Harry and King Charles saw them swap presents and kisses on the cheek — but there were no plans made for the future, The Sun can reveal. After the 53-minute summit at Clarence House, wild rumours circulated that the pair had discussed Harry resuming some royal duties on a “half-in, half-out” basis. However, we can immediately reveal, the pair’s sit down earlier this month was “distinctly formal” and there is still no prospect of Harry returning to the family fold. Harry was surprised by the formalities of his recent reunion with the King — and even joked he felt more like an “official visitor” than a family member, we can reveal. He handed his father a framed photograph of their children Archie and Lilibet to mark their reunion – but Harry and Meghan were not in the family photo.

Harry’s spokesperson: “Recent reporting of the Duke’s view of the tone of the meeting is categorically false. The quotes attributed to him are pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son. Presumably, those same sources have also chosen to disclose that gifts were exchanged. 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.”

Charles gave Harry a birthday gift: In a touching return gesture the King, 76, gave his youngest son a birthday present, as he was to turn 41 just six days later. But the duke was understood to have described the meeting with his father as “very official, like an official visit”. Insiders said the awkward exchange was carried out in similar style to that of dignitaries and visitors at royal residences.

Charles wants to have tea with Harry again: The King’s door remains open for another private cup of tea next time Harry is back in London. Harry was whisked into Clarence House in the back of a Land Rover to see his father while on an “faux royal” tour earlier this month. The Sun can reveal they greeted each other warmly with kisses on the cheek, before swapping gifts and having tea privately. Harry’s visit was sandwiched between two other audiences for the King. He arrived at 5.21pm and left at 6.14pm for an Invictus Games reception. Charles’s face-to-face with Harry was the King’s shortest audience of the day, after flying down earlier from Balmoral for engagements.

But what about PEG?!!? Claims the meeting was part of concerted efforts to undermine Prince William’s relationship with his father have also been denied. Harry’s spokesman said: “Categorically not. Harry is not trying to drive a wedge between the Prince of Wales and the King.” A source close to William has branded reports that he and the King are at odds as “rubbish”.

[From The Sun & The Royalist]

This is why I’ve always believed it’s stupid for Harry to even try to adhere to Charles’s dumb “rules.” The rules being “Harry can’t say anything about Charles” and “Harry has to coordinate schedules so that he doesn’t overshadow Charles’s big events.” Harry is giving away his two biggest advantages – his ability to correct the record, and the ability to get attention no matter what, especially at the expense of the left-behinds. Clearly, Harry has no problem correcting the record and I appreciate how responsive Team Sussex was on this story. As Tom Sykes noted in his coverage, “By suggesting that the same individual who leaked the gift also spun a line about a stiff, diplomatic tone to the meeting, Harry draws a line straight back to the best tier of his father’s household..” Exactly. As much as we’ve correctly assumed that Prince William and his courtiers are largely responsible for the panicked, paranoid and enraged briefings in recent weeks, the truth is that Charles and his people have been behind several of these stories. Including this one.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.