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King Charles’ move for a royal reconciliation with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle puts the royal family in the spotlight after a planned meeting leaks. Harry has been open about his intention to reconcile with his royal family after staying away for years and building a new life in California. Back in May, the prince openly voiced his intention during his BBC interview, also revealing that his dad did not seem to share his desire for a peace treaty. Months later, things seem to take a new turn, with both parties reportedly meeting for a secret peace talk.
The Mail on Sunday reported that aides from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s party secretly met with Prince Charles’ representatives in London on Wednesday for a supposed royal peace summit. Their meeting took place at the Royal Over-Seas League, a private members’ club in London. The outlet photographed King Charles’ communications secretary Tobyn Andreae engrossed in conversations with Meredith Maines, the Sussexes’ Chief of Communications, and Liam Maguire, head of the couple’s PR team, at the club’s garden terrace.
Harry and Meghan Deny Leaking Plans for Royal Reconciliation
While it’s unclear who initiated the meeting, the outlet reported that the peace summit was a step towards the royal reconciliation between Prince Harry and his dad, King Charles. Reportedly, the historic meeting was supposed to be a secret. Hence, the photographs suggest that someone must have leaked the details to the press, squashing the plans to keep things under the radar and, even worse, the royal reconciliation altogether. This led to speculation about the party responsible for leaking the details to the press, with fingers pointing at both sides.
In the wake of the leaked meeting, sources close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have denied the couple’s involvement in revealing those details to The Mail and staging the paparazzi shots. According to the insiders, the Sussexes are frustrated that what they intended as a secret peace talk ended up splashed across the front pages of Newspapers. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly fear this unwanted development could derail their hopes for a reconciliation with King Charles and the rest of the royal family.
Sussexes Accused of Leaking Details of Peace Summit
Despite their plausible denial, some royal fans firmly believe Meghan Markle had a hand in this breach. A group of critics on Reddit has taken time to analyze the possible scenario and reasons the duchess may have to leak the information. Two names have especially popped up as possible culprits. In the heated thread, critics reasoned that Meghan stood to gain the most from spewing those details, accusing her of attempting to steal the attention from the Wales on Wimbledon weekend. One critic speculated,
“Of course, the leak is from Meghan UnreMarkable. It might even be to throw a wrench into any future talks. But Harry is also eager to run to the press. Whatever they hoped, they messed it up, again.”
Another shot,
“[Meghan] can’t have Catherine in her moment as Royal Patron of AELTC, shining like the jewel of the crown she is on both Saturday AND Sunday. Had to make sure they enter the chatter of anything RF.”
Another wrote,
“The fact that the leak stimulates a flurry of anxious responses from California and a dry “no comment’ from the Palace says a lot about who is angling for media coverage here.”
A fourth noted that “Now the Palace can confirm that the Sussexes leak everything to the press.” In an attempt to offer evidence that the Sussexes had a hand in the leak, royal fans drew connections between Meghan Markle and the photographer who caught the secret peace summit on camera. They established that the photographer, Steve Burton, founder of Smartpicsuk, who shares the same name as General Hospital actor Steve Burton, was part of the Daily Mail editorial team that covered Meghan and Harry’s 2018 royal wedding.
Did King Charles’ Communications Secretary Reveal Meeting With Harry’s Team?
Fans were quick to point out that King Charles’ communications secretary had closer ties to both the monarch and The Mail, and hence, was in a better position to spill the tea than the Sussexes, who do not exactly have a pleasant history with the outlet. One fan wrote,
“Charles’ comms guy ALSO worked for the Daily Mail during the H&M wedding. It’s all kinds of strange. It will be interesting to hear what they have to say about this over at Palace Confidential on Thursday. If they can’t give the honest scoop, I’m giving up on them.”
Notably, the communications secretary, Tobyn Andreae, previously worked as a Daily Mail co-deputy editor before assuming the position of communications secretary for the British monarch and his wife in 2022. The fan group naming Andreae as the royal mole cited this past connection as proof that he had a hand in communicating those details to Burton and his former employers.
Another opinion explored in the thread suggested that the meeting was simply a complete farce orchestrated by Harry and Meghan to make it appear the press was spying on them. The Redditor noted that the supposed royal peace summit might simply have been a meeting between colleagues, adding, “This trick should make it clear to Charles that there’s no room for compromise with the Harkles.”
While the supposed royal summit held last week remains shrouded in mystery, it goes to show the fragile dynamics involved in a potential royal reconciliation between Prince Harry and his dad, King Charles. Hopefully, when it does happen, no such unforeseen turn will sabotage their efforts.
