After more than 19 months without seeing each other, King Charles and Prince Harry finally reunited for tea on September 10—a moment many royal watchers doubted would ever happen.
The meeting was said to be emotional and marked a small but meaningful step toward reconciliation. Behind this breakthrough, however, was the quiet work of a new key figure in the King’s team.
The Role of Theo Rycroft
At the center of this development is Theo Rycroft, Charles’s recently appointed deputy private secretary. Until recently serving as a diplomat in Paris, Rycroft is also considered one half of one of Britain’s most connected power couples.
According to Palace sources cited by the Scottish Daily Express, he has played a crucial role in opening communication channels that had long been blocked, paving the way for Harry and his father to sit down together in London. His diplomatic skills are being described as the “secret weapon” Charles needed at such a sensitive time.
A Changing Inner Circle
Rycroft replaced Chris Fitzgerald, marking a notable shift within Charles’s close advisers. He now works alongside Clive Alderton, Charles’s private secretary, who has a far more complicated history with Harry.
In his memoir Spare, the Duke referred to Alderton as “The Wasp,” casting him as part of the palace machinery that resisted both him and Meghan Markle. Alderton also sits on the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC), which Harry has accused of giving him “unjustified and inferior treatment” regarding his security since stepping back from royal duties.
Charles’s Determination to Heal Family Bonds
Charles and Harry’s strained relationship has stretched on for years and worsened after the Duke’s BBC interview earlier this year. Yet, despite his ongoing cancer treatment, the King is said to be committed to repairing ties—not only with Harry but also with his grandchildren, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.
A Symbolic Breakthrough
On September 10, Harry was seen arriving at Clarence House by car at 5:20 p.m., leaving an hour later. Both Buckingham Palace and Harry’s spokesperson confirmed that father and son had shared a private tea. Though brief, the moment was widely interpreted as a symbolic breakthrough in their fractured relationship.
Harry Looks to the Future
Following the reunion, Harry spoke during a surprise visit to Ukraine, where he reflected on the meeting with his father. “The focus has to be on my father,” he said, while also expressing hope that he was “closer” to bringing his children, Archie and Lilibet, back to the UK in the near future.