Harry slams 'men in grey suits' as reconciliation with Charles stalls

Prince Harry last night lambasted 'men in grey suits' at Buckingham Palace, accusing unnamed aides of trying to sabotage his reconciliation with King Charles III. The remarks marked a sharp escalation in a long-running dispute over palace briefings and the couple's efforts to thaw tensions within the royal household.

The claims followed a Daily Mail on Sunday report that aides were quietly pursuing a cautious plan to bring the King and Harry together in public. It said the two had a 50-minute face-to-face at Clarence House earlier this month, their first meeting in 18 months, as part of efforts to foster a rapprochement that could see Harry appear at more public events in Britain but not as a working royal. Within hours of that report, insiders floated that Harry would never be allowed to return as a 'half-in, half-out' working royal—though that claim did not appear in the newspaper's piece. One unnamed source quipped that those in Team Harry had 'mistaken a brief tea and a slice of cake for the Treaty of Versailles.' The Sun described the meeting as 'distinctly formal' and 'very official,' noting that the exchange did not signal an imminent public reconciling appearance. In response, Harry's spokesman issued a stinging statement denying the quoted characterization and accusing sources of attempting to sabotage reconciliation. The spokesman also confirmed that a framed photograph had been handed to the King as a gift, but the image did not include the Duke or Duchess.

Harry has long criticized senior Palace courtiers he says are behind negative stories about him and Meghan. In Spare, he named a trio—Bee, Wasp and Fly—whom he said handled tense negotiations that culminated in the couple stepping back from public duties in 2020. A year ago the Sussexes launched Operation Bring Harry Back In From The Cold to win back the Royal Family's trust, and the campaign appeared to gain momentum in July when two of Harry's key aides met one of the King's top advisers. On September 10, the King and Harry met at Clarence House, their first face-to-face since the rift widened. The Mail on Sunday understands Harry plans to come to the UK four to five times a year going forward, with the aim of appearing publicly with the King at the Invictus Games in Birmingham in 2027. There has been chatter that Prince William might attend, though insiders say he would be wary of a public reconciliation under current circumstances. The Sun stood by its claims, while Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

The public dispute underscores the fragility of the reconciliation push, with officials on both sides cautioning that any return to public pairing will require careful, sustained dialogue and mutual trust before a joint appearance can be contemplated.