According to sources, the King saw “tremendous flickers of hope” in his recent interactions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, opening the door to the possibility of reconciliation.
As the family came together in sorrow after the late Queen’s passing, the monarch is said to have been encouraged by the various conversations he had with his son and daughter-in-law.
According to a royal insider, “The King still loves both of his children.”
There have been many glimmerings of hope over the past 16 days or so. There is hope for a reason for unity in the future.
It is unknown how much, if any, time the King spent alone with his younger son over the past two weeks, but he seems determined to paint a favorable picture of their current relationship.
Knowing that any salvo launched from California will be extremely damaging, how to handle Harry and Meghan will be one of the issues on his mind as he approaches the first few months of his reign.
The Sussexes continue to be an unpredictable force at a time when Buckingham Palace is eager to convey a sense of continuity and stability.
While some people saw the King’s mention of the couple in his televised address as a “olive branch,” others believed it to be little more than a public relations ploy.
Prior to the late Queen’s funeral, the Duke and Duchess were embroiled in a number of dramas, including an apparent U-turn on the Duke’s right to wear a military uniform and an incorrect invitation to a state reception at Buckingham Palace.
The sequence of events that took place right after the late Queen passed away also seemed to demonstrate the size of the distance between Prince Harry and his family.
According to sources close to the Duke, he was not informed of his grandmother’s passing before the public announcement was made online, forcing him to learn of it from news reports after arriving at Balmoral alone and several hours after other senior royals.
The King contacted him minutes before the statement was made, according to Buckingham Palace, just before Harry’s plane touched down in Aberdeen.
In either case, there’s no denying that the Sussexes’ reaction to the situation was negative.
Prince Harry’s memoir has been delayed, but even so, it is almost certain that the Royal family will face more criticism in the future. He continues to fight the Home Office in court over security.
If the King wants to give his two youngest grandchildren, Lilibet, age one, and Archie, age three, the new titles of prince and princess, he will need to make that decision sooner rather than later.
As a result of the Royal family’s website not being updated to reflect their new status following the Queen’s passing, the Duke and Duchess are reportedly worried that the King may revoke their children’s right to use the titles.
The King will be looking ahead to the upcoming months now that the formal period of royal mourning has ended, conscious that every action will determine the course of his reign.
He and the Queen Consort are anticipated to stay in Scotland this week because there are no scheduled public appearances while they continue to get used to their new roles.
The King must deal with the “phenomenal” volume of correspondence, both personal and official, that has poured in since the Queen’s passing, in addition to going through his daily red boxes.
Unless the Prime Minister travels to Scotland, he’ll probably hold his third meeting with Liz Truss virtually.
Following a period of royal mourning, protocol requires that official duties be gradually resumed as needed.
In the coming weeks, the King is anticipated to make his first state visit to France, using the monarchy’s diplomatic influence to forge relationships with important European neighbors in the wake of Brexit.
The King will use the visit to highlight a plan to plant millions of trees in Africa. The King has spent decades calling attention to climate change.
Due to the late Queen’s limited ability to travel, there haven’t been any state visits abroad for the past seven years.
