Prince Harry is expected to return to the United Kingdom next week for his first in-person meeting with King Charles in nearly two years, but reports suggest the reunion may come with conditions that have rattled royal courtiers.
Celebrity publicist Rob Shuter, citing insiders close to the Duke of Sussex, said Harry has outlined a list of requests that must be addressed before peace talks with his father take place. The list reportedly includes "full security" for himself and his family, "press control" coordinated by Buckingham Palace, and formal recognition of Meghan Markle as "Her Royal Highness," complete with bows and curtsies if she attends.
"For William, that's a hard no," a source told Shuter. "Harry doesn't want another trip where he feels unprotected and exposed. He wants iron-clad guarantees - not vague promises. Security and privacy are non-negotiable."
Harry lost his legal appeal earlier this year to secure taxpayer-funded police protection for his family when visiting Britain. He has said in the past that he would not bring Meghan or their children, Archie and Lilibet, to the UK without "full police protection." According to multiple reports, Meghan will remain in California during the trip, marking her continued absence from Britain since Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022.
Still, the request for Meghan to be treated as HRH - despite her and Harry's departure from senior royal duties in 2020 - has stirred fresh tensions. "Harry's offering reconciliation - but at a price. And that price includes the entire royal family bowing to Meghan," one insider claimed.
The timing of Harry's return coincides with the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death. It also follows weeks of speculation after members of Harry's press team were seen meeting with King Charles' communications secretary in London.
King Charles, 75, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, is said to want peace and a chance to see his younger son. But some insiders fear Harry's reported conditions could "blow open old wounds" at a moment when the royal household has tried to project stability.
In May, Harry told the BBC he would "love a reconciliation" with his family, though he also claimed at the time that his father was not speaking to him. Courtiers, however, have pointed to recent back-channel meetings between aides as a tentative sign that communication lines are open. "There's a long road ahead, but a channel of communication is now open for the first time in years," one insider told the Daily Mail after a July meeting of senior aides described as a "secret peace summit."
