Charles & Harry's Tearful Reunion

Father and son finally exchange apologies and make peace before the king's coronation

In the weeks leading up to the coronation, King Charles III and his son Prince Harry seemed as far apart as ever. First, Harry made bombshell claims in legal papers that Charles tried to stop him from suing Rupert Murdoch's News Group over alleged phone hacking. Charles also allegedly encouraged Harry's brother, Prince William, to secretly settle with the press. Then Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, announced she wouldn't be attending the coronation, as rumors swirled she was still angry over Charles' response to a letter she had written him in 2021 about racism in the royal family. "Publicly," says a source, "the rift between Harry and the royal family seemed hopelessly insurmountable."

But behind the scenes, the new king was quietly negotiating a détente. "Charles is doing all he can to try to keep lines of communication open," confirms royals expert Nick Bullen. What finally broke the ice? The source reveals father and son briefly met in secret when Harry visited London in March to appear in court. "After that, the king finally started taking his son's calls again," says the source, and several fruitful phone conversations followed. And despite Prince William and Princess Kate's outrage, Charles finally expressed contrition to Harry on behalf of the family. "He strongly believes blood is thicker than water. And deep down, Harry loves his dad. So they were actually looking forward to seeing each other at the May 6 coronation ceremony. It will no doubt be a tearful reunion."

HARRY & MEGHAN'S 
Pre-Coronation Date Night!