‘This is Harry’s last chance to regain trust’: Hopes grow of royal reconciliation ‘if Duke of Sussex keeps his meetings with the King private’ as experts urge him to stay in UK with cancer-stricken Charles – but rule out any hope of a reunion with William

Hopes are growing of a reconciliation between Prince Harry and the royal family as experts warn him to stay in the UK and keep his meetings with the King private. 

Harry flew 5,000 miles from California yesterday to see his father for 45 minutes following the King’s shock cancer diagnosis.

But while Harry’s transatlantic dash raised hopes he will continue to heal wounds with his family, there has not yet been ‘any sign’ of a reunion between the Duke of Sussex and his brother Prince William. 

Royal expert Phil Dampier gave MailOnline his thoughts on the prospect of Harry and Charles meeting up again.

He said: ‘I don’t think anybody knows at the moment not even themselves. It’s a first step – it’s a break the ice sort of meeting – Harry would have been anxious to find out how the King is – and take it from there.

‘I think the most important thing is when he returns to California none of this conversation with the King becomes public.

King Charles is seen with his wife Queen Camilla as they leave by car from Clarence House in London yesterday 

Prince Harry is seen in the car as he arrives at Clarence House to meet his father King Charles 

The Prince of Wales smiles as he chats with royal aides prior to an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle today 

It is likely Harry will not see Princess Catherine, who is recovering from surgery, during his stay in London

‘The trust will have gone if he starts leaking things. If after a few weeks nothing has been leaked the trust will return.

‘I’d say the jury is out. This is his last chance to regain some trust.’ 

He added: ‘If anything leaks out then we would be back to square one and it will blow any chances of a reconciliation with William.

‘I don’t think he’s inclined to forgive him at the moment.’

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline it would be ‘disastrous’ for Harry not to keep his meetings with the King private. 

‘I do not expect Harry to leak details of what passed between him and his father. If he did, and the Sussexes have in the past used the media ruthlessly against the royal family, it would be disastrous,’ he said. 

‘I think this could be the beginning of reconciliation as cancer changes everything.’ 

Speaking of yesterday’s meeting between Charles and Harry, Mr Fitzwilliams said: ‘The important thing was that the meeting took place. Harry was clearly a son concerned for his father who had taken a transatlantic flight to be supportive. 

‘Also Harry is privy to the diagnosis which we currently are not. What is obviously necessary is that trust is rebuilt after the way the Sussexes used the media against the royal family and caused such damage.

‘We expect the working royals to pull their weight and those, such as the Sussexes, who are not working, to be as supportive as they can be. 

‘It is important to remember that Harry lost his mother in truly tragic circumstances which still haunt him.’ 

He added: ‘William, who is involved with two royal engagements today, has Catherine to look after and will undoubtedly be increasing his workload too. Now is emphatically not the time for a meeting between them, especially as they have reportedly not spoken in months.’ 

BBC Royal Correspondent Daniela Relph said the chances of a reconciliation between Harry and William remains unlikely given their ongoing feud. 

‘It’s a sibling relationship that still looks incredibly broken. We don’t know if either side has reached out in any way, if there has been any attempt to find a truce. As things stand there doesn’t seem to be any sign of that,’ she told Radio 4. 

‘You have to read that as a sign of the state of their relationship, nothing in the diary we’re told for them to meet up while Harry’s in the UK.

William was seen chatting briefly to Ellen White today, who is the record goalscorer for the England women’s national team

It is possible Princess Anne could help out with some of the King’s more public duties as he is treated for cancer 

Princess Anne arrives for her visit to the Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training Regiment at St George’s Barracks today 

‘It also means Harry won’t be visiting his sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales, who has been unwell, someone he was once very close to.’ 

It is unlikely Harry will visit his brother’s wife Kate as she recovers at home with her husband and three children – George, Charlotte and Louis – having recently endured abdominal surgery.  

Speaking about Harry’s meeting with Charles, Ms Relph said: ‘This is a father and son who have seen very little of each other over the past four years.

‘The relationship has been incredibly strained and complicated.

‘It mattered that Harry was here, it mattered that the King wanted to see him.

‘Very different when it comes to his brother the Prince of Wales, Harry and William will not be seeing each other.’ 

The Duke of Sussex was one of the first family members seen to visit Charles after his shock diagnosis was made public. 

Another visit by Harry to his father has not been ruled out, according to The Telegraph, but it is understood the Duke will not be making a visit to his older brother while staying in London. 

Royal biographer Robert Hardman told Radio 4 that it is common for feuding families to ‘come together’ during tough times. 

Mr Hardman said: ‘In times of crisis families do come together, and I think everyone will be happy to see that.

‘I think there is a sort of sense of business as usual going on and that’s very much a message that the palace is trying to put out, but if along the way we can see some bridges being built, then that’s got to be a good thing.’

Did Charles delay his flight back to Sandringham from Buckingham Palace yesterday so he could spend a few more precious minutes with his youngest son? 

The Royal helicopter picking up the King and Queen spent nearly 13 minutes circling around Surrey before its arrival at Buckingham Palace.

King Charles is seen with his youngest son Prince Harry in 1995 when the Duke of Sussex was a child 

William dropped a medal he was handing to Suzanne Hutchinson, from the charity Little Hearts Matter

White appeared animated as she had a brief chat with William at the investiture ceremony 

Flight tracker records show the mauve-coloured Sikorsky S-76C from The King’s Helicopter Flight flew two loops around Surrey before heading into central London.

Harry was seen leaving Clarence House at 3.31pm, having spent just over 45 minutes with his father following the revelation on Monday that the King was battling cancer.

Charles, who had been in London to receive treatment, left Clarence House just seven minutes later with Camilla at 3.38pm to board the helicopter in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, suggesting that their bags were already packed.

Royal Historian Kelly Swaby told Radio 4 that a health scare such as Charles’s is ‘always a chance for a truce’ after a family conflict. 

‘The reaction the Royal Family are showing at the minute I think would be the same in every family across the country. A health scare – a major health news is always a chance for a truce or a revaluation of a situation in someone’s personal life, so I think we should take Prince Harry coming back to the UK as a sign that maybe there is going to be a truce for a while,’ she said. 

‘A son is coming back to see his Dad who has just received awful news.’

However, biographer Ingrid Seward told GB News that Harry’s return to London is ‘unhelpful’ and will cause ‘problems’. 

‘My immediate reaction is how unhelpful is that? That’s not very kind of me. I just thought you really don’t need somebody coming into this mix at this slightly tense moment, that is going to cause more problems than they can solve,’ she said. 

‘Of course Harry wants to see his father and he hasn’t fallen out with his father despite what he’s said about the Queen. Charles has remained very calm about it.

‘But the Royal Family don’t like confronting these emotional issues and I think Harry will come over here, he will be perfectly nice to everyone, everyone will be perfectly nice to him, and then they’ll just hope that he goes back pretty soon.’