Prince Harry and King Charles Have Been in Contact Since His U.K. Return, Despite Reports They Haven’t Spoken
Prince Harry and King Charles Have Been in Contact Since His U.K. Return, Despite Reports They Haven’t Spoken
Stephanie Petit, Simon PerryWed, September 9, 2026 at 2:30 PM UTC
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Prince Harry; King CharlesCredit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty -
Prince Harry and King Charles have been in contact since the Duke of Sussex’s move back to the U.K., PEOPLE understands
Amid a report that the father and son have not communicated, a source tells PEOPLE that the father and son have spoken by phone but have not met in person
Prince Harry and King Charles reunited in July during the Duke of Sussex’s visit to the U.K. before news of his family’s move
Prince Harry and King Charles have spoken since the Duke of Sussex’s family moved back to the U.K., despite reports to the contrary.
Amid reports that Harry, 41, and the King, 77, have not communicated, a source tells PEOPLE that the father and son spoke by phone during Harry’s first week back in the U.K. Harry, Meghan Markle and their two children returned to the U.K. on Aug. 26.
PEOPLE revealed on Aug. 19 that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were moving their family back to the U.K. for an extended period, with plans for Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, to begin school in Britain this September. Details about their non-royal, private home and the kids’ school are being kept private.
Prince Harry and King Charles reunited in July during the Duke of Sussex’s visit to the U.K. before news of his family’s move. The father and son met at the monarch’s private country home of Highgrove, and the reunion was also attended by Meghan, Archie, Lilibet and Queen Camilla. The meeting marked the first time that King Charles had seen Meghan, Archie and Lilibet since 2022.
King Charles and Prince Harry on Sept. 14, 2022Credit: Jeff J Mitchell - WPA Pool/Getty
King Charles was spending time with members of the royal family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland in late August, and he recently carried out a series of royal engagements in London on Sept. 2. Meanwhile, Prince Harry was seen for the first time since his move back to his home country when Tower Bridge Studios shared photos from his visit to their video and podcasting studio. He spent the day there on Sept. 4 working on an undisclosed project.
“He was very, very pleasant to everyone,” a source at the studio tells PEOPLE. “And he was very pleased to sign our celebrity wall. It was all very relaxed.”
On Sept. 7, King Charles directed that a letter of guidance be issued to senior officials across the U.K. government, military and Lord Lieutenancies reiterating that there is “no change” to the status of Harry and Meghan, 44, following their move back to Britain.
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“It is well known that in January 2020 the Duke and Duchess stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of The Sovereign, and are no longer working Members of The Royal Family. This position, distinct from the State and Royal duties undertaken by the working Royal Family, and with the personal latitude it brings the couple in respect of financial independence and protection of their privacy as they would wish, will continue to be fully respected,” the letter stated.
“It follows that there is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” it continued. “Their styles as His and Her Royal Highness remain in abeyance and are not used. The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity. In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”
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Palace insiders point out that the letter does not represent a new policy — it reiterates the terms agreed when Harry and Meghan stepped back from their roles as working members of the royal family in 2020 and is in keeping with the family’s stated desire to remain private citizens while in the U.K.
However, PEOPLE understands that Prince Harry and Meghan were surprised by the letter. Those close to the couple say their team received the guidance at 1:59 p.m. U.K. time, and they sent back some questions 20 minutes later — including whether the guidance had already been circulated, as they wanted to inform Harry and Meghan and wanted clarification on some other matters.
At 3:09 p.m., the couple’s team were able to get hold of Prince Harry, who had been in a meeting, to inform him and share that they were asking about a couple of points in the letter. But at 3:11 p.m. U.K. time, they were told that the letter had been circulated to the media.
The clarification comes as Harry prepares to undertake a series of charitable engagements that were planned well ahead of his and Meghan’s return to the U.K. He is expected to attend events associated with some of the charities and causes he supports, including the Invictus Games. The next iteration of the Games will take place in Birmingham, England, in July 2027.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
