Prince Harry has vehemently denied reports suggesting his recent meeting with King Charles was "distinctly formal," labelling such claims as "categorically false." The Duke of Sussex met with his father for approximately 55 minutes at Clarence House earlier this month, marking their first encounter since February 2024 during Harry's four-day visit to the UK. This meeting occurred amidst Harry's generally tense relationship with other members of the royal family since his move to the United States.

The denial specifically addresses a report from The Sun, which implied Prince Harry was taken aback by the formality of the meeting. The report suggested he was so surprised that he joked about feeling more like "an official visitor" to the royal residence. However, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex issued a strong rebuttal, stating: "Recent reporting of The Duke's view of the tone of the meeting, is categorically false." The spokesperson further added that the quotes attributed to Harry were "pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son."

The statement from Harry's spokesperson also confirmed that gifts were exchanged during the meeting, a detail they would have preferred to keep private. Harry presented his father with a framed photograph, though the image notably did not include the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In return, His Majesty gave Harry a birthday present, as Harry was due to celebrate his 41st birthday just six days later. Reports also indicated that Harry and Charles shared a kiss on the cheek upon Harry's arrival.

A spokesperson for The Sun acknowledged Harry's statement, confirming the exchange of gifts and describing their initial story as a "carefully-sourced account of the meeting." They stated that the online article had been updated to include Harry's new statement. King Charles, aged 76, has not seen his young grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, since the Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. Harry had previously maintained it was not safe for them to return to the UK. Despite this, Harry recently declared in an interview with The Guardian, "The focus really has to be on my dad... I have always loved the UK and I always will love the UK." There is currently no indication that Prince Harry will resume royal duties, despite earlier speculation about a potential "half-in, half-out" role with The Firm.