Prince Harry “regrets some of his actions” since stepping back from royal duties and used his recent trip to Britain to begin repairing ties with his family and the UK public, a royal insider has claimed.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, is now in Ukraine after four days of engagements in London and Nottingham and a private meeting with King Charles – their first in 19 months.
A source told the Mail: “It’s become clear that Harry now regrets some of his actions. He wants to reset his relationship with his family and with the people of the UK.
“It’s hard to see him ever coming back to live in Britain, but this may be the start of something that at least allows them to be a functioning wider family again.”
Prince Harry has ‘regrets’ as insider opens up about Duke’s reunion with King Charles
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The King is said to be eager to rebuild relations and hopes to spend time with his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, whom he has not seen for three years.
The same source added: “The King wants to be a grandfather to his grandchildren, so that’s an important pull. He was so pleased when they came over for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, and he was able to spend some time with them.”
Whether Meghan Markle will join any future visit is unclear. She has not returned to the UK since Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022.
Charles last saw Archie and Lilibet in June 2022 during the Platinum Jubilee and has only met Lilibet once.
Security arrangements remain a major obstacle. Harry’s taxpayer-funded protection was reduced after he and Meghan stepped back from royal duties, prompting his ongoing legal action against the Home Office.
The insider noted: “There are all sorts of obstacles to that happening again because of Harry’s insistence that they have guaranteed armed police protection. But maybe there is a way of getting them over to Balmoral or Sandringham next year or another royal residence where they are within the security perimeter.”
Harry told the Guardian he sought approval before travelling to Ukraine. “I had to check with my wife and the British government to make sure it was OK,” he said.
After flying to Poland and taking a train to Kyiv, Harry arrived on Friday morning for his first visit to the capital, which was hit by Russian cruise missiles two days earlier as Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace and were shot down.
“We cannot stop the war, but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process,” he told the outlet.
“We can continue to humanise the people involved in this war and what they are going through. We have to keep it in the forefront of people’s minds. I hope this trip will help to bring it home to people because it’s easy to become desensitised to what has been going on.”
While in Kyiv, Harry will visit the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, meet hundreds of veterans and hold talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
During his four days in Britain, Harry attended five engagements, including the WellChild Awards and an event for The Diana Award. His spokesman said he “loved” being back in the UK and “catching up with old friends”.
On Wednesday evening, he spent 54 minutes with King Charles at Clarence House. But Prince William, who was nearby at one point, did not meet his brother.
Tessy Ojo, chief executive of The Diana Award, said a joint appearance between the brothers was unlikely: “You know what, people are fascinated about seeing them together.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside them for 25 years, and they’ve always done things separately. The one time we brought them together was the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death.”
Harry also spoke to young people about mental health and isolation, saying how easy it is to feel “lost and separated from a group”, and embraced Colleen Harris, his father’s former press secretary and now a trustee of the King’s Charitable Fund.
After completing his UK schedule, Harry flew out of Britain and travelled directly to Ukraine instead of returning to California.