Why King Charles Won’t Be Meeting Harry During His US Visit, According to Experts

Prince Charles and Prince Harry attend the global premiere of 'Our Planet'
(Image credit: Getty Images)
  • King Charles is travelling to New York in April 2026 for a state visit, but over his time in America, he is not expected to meet up with Prince Harry.
  • This is reportedly down to the monarch's 'tightly packed' schedule and a desire not to 'draw headlines away from the purpose of the visit'.
  • This comes after their successful reunion earlier this year during Prince Harry's visit to the UK.

Tensions between the Sussex family and the Mountbatten-Windsors are well-documented, with reports of a fallout since the Duke and Duchess' step away from royal life.

However, Prince Harry's relationship with the royals has returned to the headlines five years on from his relocation to California, with reports of peace talks between the Duke and his relatives.

Prince Harry even met with his father King Charles as part of a "secret peace summit" earlier this year, with their UK meeting being the first time the pair had seen each other since February 2024.

And with the successful reunion marking "an important first step towards rebuilding their father-and-son relationship," there has been speculation as to when they will meet for a second time.

Prince Charles and Prince Harry attend the 'International Year of the Reef' meeting in 2018

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Given King Charles' confirmed royal visit to the United States next year, it was believed that the father and son could soon reunite in America.

However, royal expert and former BBC correspondent Jennie Bond has spoken out about why this is unlikely, with the monarch undoubtedly having an action-packed schedule on his state visit to celebrate America's 250th birthday.

"The schedule is worked out months in advance and is tightly packed with carefully curated engagements designed to enhance bilateral relations," Bond recently explained, via The Mirror. "There is very little downtime, and I can’t think that the King would fly across the whole country to visit Harry and his family in California."

And while Bond noted that "Charles would love to meet his grandchildren again", she stressed that "visits like this are about as official as it can get, and it’s really not a time for patching up severely strained family relationships.

"A meeting would also inevitably draw the headlines away from the purpose of the visit," she added. "So I think it’s an extremely long shot that they’ll meet up in the States."

Neither King Charles nor Prince Harry have commented on the reports.

Jenny Proudfoot
Contributing Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.