It’s been a source of resentment and deep frustration for the embattled Duke, who believed the King could intervene in the judicial process - something royal sources claimed was not within the monarch’s remit.
After losing his final throw of the dice to reverse a decision stripping him of his automatic entitlement to armed protection, Harry sat down with the BBC in a bombshell interview which saw the King’s youngest son level further attacks against the Firm.
Harry described the ruling as an “old-fashioned establishment stitch-up” and made an eyebrow-raising remark after the King, who continues to undergo cancer treatment.
“I don’t know how much longer my father has,” he said. “He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff but it would be nice to reconcile.”
The comments appeared to torpedo reconciliation efforts, but last week’s meeting between the two camps suggests both father and son had agreed to “lay down their swords” - as one royal source described it.
It may have just been an initial meeting on a sunny afternoon in London, but it’s the first sign of a thawing in years.
No battle lines were drawn, simply an informal conversation between two sides who clearly want the same thing: a way forward and an end to the bitter feud that has engulfed the House of Windsor.
Tobyn Andreae, the King and Queen’s director of communications, even brought a gift for Sussex aides Meredith Maines and Liam Maguire, another indication that things are moving in the right direction.
But the notable absence of anyone from Kensington Palace, who represent the Prince and Princess of Wales, suggests that while there is optimism that the King is willing to forgive and forget his son’s indiscretions, William is not.
He’s no longer angry at his brother’s unflattering portrayal of him and his wife in his memoir; he simply has more important things to focus his time on: his work and his family.
Making amends with Harry isn’t something he has any time for, one source said, noting that last year’s double cancer scare cemented his view that Harry’s gripes just aren’t a priority.
They said that if William were to receive an apology, the situation may improve, but even then, so much has been said that it’s impossible for their relationship to return to how it was.
The heart of the issue is trust, so Harry needs to prove that he will stop publicly attacking the Royal Family once and for all.
Hopes have been raised that father and son could meet in September, when Harry returns to the UK to attend the Wellchild Awards.
It would mark the first time they had seen each other for 18 months, following the Duke’s hurried trip to London in the wake of the King’s cancer diagnosis.
The smallest ripples can great the greatest waves, and only time will tell whether the meeting marks the start of a new era between the Palace and the Sussexes.
