King Charles may be welcoming Prince Harry back with open arms, but the same can’t be said for his estranged brother Prince William.

After years of tensions between Harry, Meghan Markle, and the rest of the royal family, the Sussexes spent time with King Charles at his Highgrove home on 10 July. It was the first time the monardch had been able to see his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, in person, since 2022.

But the reunion reportedly came with a caveat that details were to remain strictly private. It was perhaps something of a litmus test for Harry, who has famously criticised his family on a number of occasions – to Oprah, in the couple’s Netflix show, and – in unflinching detail – in Spare. As such, trust is a major issue when it comes to the Sussexes.

While Buckingham Palace confirmed in a brief statement that the meeting had taken place, an aide said no further details or pictures would be released. And so far there has been no word from Harry about the meeting.

But it has raised questions about the Sussexes’ motives for returning to the UK. Harry has long said that he was unable to bring his wife and children back to Britain because of the threat to his security. He lost an appeal over the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office last year after the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), which decides on the security provision for senior royals, decided he should receive a reduced degree of security protection.

Ahead of his return to the UK earlier this month, a report was submitted – commissioned by Harry’s own private security firm – detailing dozens of threats and potential attacks. His team had put in a formal request for police security while he was in the UK – but they were again told that no taxpayer-funded security would be provided.

Recent reports suggest, however, that after the meeting with his father, Harry is hopeful for more family reunions – and will therefore continue in his bid for taxpayer-funded security. It remains to be seen whether he will ever get the protection he insists he needs.

On the security row, royal historian Marlene Koenig tells the Mirror: “They have proven that nothing happened during this stay – their private events at Highgrove and Althorp escaped the cameras, which proves they can visit with only their security.”

So what of Harry’s desire to reconcile with the royals? Could it be simply a son hoping to spend time with his ageing father, who has been fighting cancer since February 2024? Charles would no doubt have been delighted to see his young grandchildren given the infrequency of their visits to the UK.

“The primary purpose of the visit, which was about 90 minutes to two hours long, was for Charles to spend time with his grandkids,” Marlene tells us. “Tea, a walk through the gardens, Harry showing and telling Archie and Lilibet about his childhood – the pool, the treehouse, with far less emphasis on serious conversation between father and son.”

If it does pave the way for more meetings between the Sussexes and the monarch, questions will be raised over their positions and roles moving forward. It’s been suggested that Harry and Meghan are still seeking out some form of ‘half-in, half-out’ arrangement – something the late Queen expressly forbade. Essentially, the couple want to carry on making money in the US and elsewhere to fund their lifestyle in Montecito, but to be treated as ‘working royals’ when in the UK while doing charity work and public events.

Mystery remains over whether this set-up could really work long-term. Prince William will one day take the throne – and he has made no secret of his desire to slim down the monarchy. Certainly it seems there will be no place for Harry or Meghan.

William is known to take a much harder line than Charles, and while he was said to be supportive of his father’s decision to see the Sussexes this month, his stance on them has not changed.

Sources say neither he nor Princess Kate had any desire to meet with Harry and Meghan – and the once close bond the brothers shared looks irreparably shattered.

Could it be that Harry is looking to cement his position before his brother takes power? And will that be enough? Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was famously stripped of all his titles by his brother – the only thing Charles could not unilaterally remove was Andrew’s place in the line of succession, which remains at eighth in line.

As one source close to Harry and Meghan told the Mail: “Everyone knows their future is not in his dad’s hands – it’s in his brother’s.”

Nevertheless, the Sussexes are said to be determined to reverse Megxit, and are contemplating using their holiday home in Portugal as a staging post back to Britain. The paper reports: “This is coming from Meghan as well as from him… she is fully behind it.”

But another source suggested there might be an altogether different motive for Harry’s desire to reconnect with his royal roots: “I don’t think he’s ever wanted to be estranged from his family. I think when he was madly in love with Meghan he could be blind enough to choose her. Now things are different, and the veil is lifting.”

Certainly Harry has been vocal in the past about his hopes of reconciling with his family. During an interview with the BBC last year, he said: “Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book, of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things, but I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”