Royal Family to Hold “Peace Talks” with Prince Harry Before King Charles' Coronation

(Image credit: Getty)

published 15 January 2023

Spoiler alert: The relationship between Prince Harry and the rest of the royal family is a bit strained at the moment, to put it mildly. (But you knew that, unless you’ve been living under a rock.) The cause? Well, mostly Harry’s explosive memoir, Spare (and the subsequent interviews in the press surrounding it), which takes aim at Prince William in particular, and also King Charles, Camilla, Queen Consort, and even the Princess of Wales at points. With the king’s coronation looming on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, The Sun reports that “the royal family are set to told peace talks with Prince Harry before the king’s coronation” with the hopes of mending fences before the big day.

“Royal sources believe peace talks could take place in the coming months, with Harry flying over from the U.S. to meet King Charles and Prince William,” the outlet reports. “One source believes the relationships are ‘fixable’ but are ‘going to take flexibility on all sides.’”

“It needs Harry over here, in the room with the King and the Prince of Wales and a couple of other family members,” a source tells The Sunday Times. “Both sides need to hold their hands up and admit we didn’t get everything right, and we got a lot wrong.”

Another source speaking to the outlet adds “They have to invite them [Harry and wife Meghan Markle] in before the coronation, or it will become such a circus and distraction.”

The coronation sits about three-and-a-half months away and will coincidentally be held on the fourth birthday of Harry and Meghan’s son, Archie.

Potential peace talks come to the fore after Harry told ITV journalist Tom Bradby in an interview promoting Spare that “the ball is in their court” for reconciliation, referring to the royal family. He also revealed that he does want to attend his father’s coronation.

“There’s a lot that can happen between now and then,” Harry said. “But the door is always open. The ball is in their court. There’s a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they’re willing to sit down and talk about it.”

A source tells The Sun that senior royals do not want Harry at the event because they fear whatever they say will “end up in paperback,” as possibly an addendum to Spare’s already bombshell contents.

“There have been discussions among the family, including [Prince] Edward and [Princess] Anne,” a source tells the outlet. “They do not want private conversations at the coronation making it into the paperback edition of Spare.”

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.