Harry’s UK trip hints at Charles thaw, but William rift remains

Prince Harry spent July 7 to 11 in London and Birmingham on Invictus Games business, but there was no plan for him to meet Prince William even though the brothers were in London at the same time. The trip was built around Invictus-related engagements, including a Birmingham event marking the one-year countdown to the 2027 Games, and Meghan Markle, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet did not join him for the London portion.

The contrast with King Charles III was sharper. Harry and Charles held a private tea in September 2025, their first in-person meeting in about two years, a sign that the relationship between father and son has begun to thaw even as the divide with William remains intact. Royal editor Emily Nash said, “My understanding is there’s no plan for him to meet with his brother,” and said there was no communication between Harry and William at the time of the visit.

That left the trip focused on public-facing work rather than family reconciliation. Harry’s schedule included Invictus-linked appearances tied to wounded, injured and sick service personnel, along with a charity festival for bereaved children and a visit to Birmingham Children’s Hospital. The centre of gravity was unmistakable: veterans, children and the games, not a broader royal reunion.

The family rupture has been visible since Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and deepened after the release of Spare, which intensified disputes over security, trust and the terms of Harry’s relationship with the royal household. For all the attention on Charles’s private tea with Harry last year, the absence of any William meeting during this July trip showed that the reconciliation has not travelled beyond the king.