While Prince Harry and King Charles are set to reunite during Harry’s trip to England for the WellChild Awards in September, Prince William has still turned down any prospect of a meeting with his estranged brother

A source has shared the one major issue standing in the way of a reunion between William and Harry(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Prince Harry is set to reunite with King Charles when he travels to the UK for the WellChild Awards on September 8, which also happens to be the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death.A source told the Mirror that the “time is right” for the estranged father and son to reconcile, after not seeing each other for 20 months. The last time Harry and Charles met was in January 2024, when the King was undergoing treatment for cancer.

Despite the olive branch being extended between the Sussex camp and the Firm, Prince William has firmly declined any potential reunion with his brother during his rare trip to UK shores.

A meeting between the warring brothers has been “rejected out of hand” by Prince William(Image: In Pictures via Getty Images)

According to a well-placed source, relations between Harry and William remain deeply strained. Their relationship has become almost non-existent since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the Firm in 2020, leaving their royal duties behind to start a new life in California.

After their shocking departure, a series of very public jabs at the royal family came from the Sussexes, with their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, their Netflix docuseries in 2022, and Harry’s memoir Spare in 2023.

In Harry’s own admission, the prince told the BBC in May that some of his family “may never forgive” him for his seemingly endless spate of allegations against them.

As a result, a source told the Mirror that this onslaught of public jabs over the years has led to serious trust issues between the brothers, with a potential meeting between William and Harry in the coming weeks being “rejected out of hand”.

The source said: “William feels Harry has repeatedly chosen public exposure over private resolution and that the Royal Family can’t keep being dragged into the headlines every time there’s a new contract to promote.”

They added: “The issue with Harry, as well as Meghan, is one of trust. Ever since moving to North America, they have eroded all confidence in their ability to keep things or their criticisms private. For there to be any chance of moving forward, that trust has to be rebuilt, and Team Sussex knows the onus is on them.

Despite William’s refusal to see his brother, King Charles has agreed to see his youngest son for the first time in almost two years when he makes his rare trip to the UK in a few short weeks.

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A US source told the Mirror: “It’s clear there is now a determination on both sides to make this happen. Nobody is pretending the wider family issues have been resolved, but this is about beginning with Charles and Harry.

Prince Harry will meet with King Charles when he travels to the UK in September for a charity event(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

“For the first time in a long time, there’s a genuine sense that reconciliation is within reach. Prince Harry ’s team and the Palace have opened a line of communication, and there is every hope that father and son will see one another when the Duke returns to London in September.”

They continued: “After 20 months apart, and with the King continuing his treatment, the feeling is that the time is right to take that step. This is not about grand gestures or set-piece meetings – it’s about a simple face-to-face conversation between a father and his son. The priority is privacy and dignity, but also ensuring the door stays open for further dialogue.”