Prince Harry’s brief meeting with King Charles earlier this month was meant to signal a quiet step toward reconciliation.
Instead, it has ignited another storm over leaks, with scrutiny now focused on Prince William and Charles’s most senior aide, Sir Clive Alderton.
The Sun described the 53-minute encounter at Clarence House as “distinctly formal,” claiming Harry felt like an “official visitor.”
The paper also reported that Harry gifted Charles a framed photo of his children.
Harry’s spokesman swiftly denied those details, confirming gifts were exchanged but stressing that the widely reported photograph was “pure invention.”
The pushback underscored Harry’s longstanding grievance that “men in grey suits”, palace courtiers, have fueled damaging narratives through leaks and back-briefings.
Royal reporter Tom Sykes, once critical of the Sussexes, acknowledged that William and Alderton are seen as leading efforts to block reconciliation.
That claim echoes Harry’s depiction in Spare of Alderton as “The Wasp,” a figure central to palace maneuvering.
William’s role is also under renewed focus, with critics pointing to a pattern of stories protecting him and Charles while casting Harry as distant.
Critics argue Alderton embodies the machinery Harry describes as “the men in grey suits.”