Long before the latest round of royal watching, William and Kate made a quiet offer that never went anywhere. The Waleses once suggested that Harry and Meghan bring their children along on a visit, so the cousins could spend time together and the two families could try to make up. Years later, with Harry now saying he wants to reconcile, that old suggestion is back in focus.
According to royal expert Tom Quinn, the suggestion came ahead of Harry's return for the 10th anniversary celebration of his Invictus Games in 2024. The Waleses reportedly suggested that Harry and Meghan bring Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet with them, so the children could spend time with their cousins. "William and Kate have suggested that Meghan and Harry bring the children and that the two couples and their families try to make up, but the suggestion is not leading anywhere so far," Quinn said at the time.
The visit itself told its own story. Meghan did not attend the 2024 Invictus Games ceremony in London, while Harry did take part in a service at St Paul's Cathedral. No other royals were present, including Harry's father King Charles, who had a "full" schedule during his son's UK visit. The cousins did not get their meeting, and the suggestion quietly faded.
To understand why a simple visit became such a loaded idea, you have to go back a few years. Harry and Meghan stepped away from their royal roles in 2020 and lived in California, and the brothers have reportedly not been in contact for years. Since the publication of Harry's memoir, Spare, along with subsequent interviews, news of the brothers' not-so-cordial relationship has been front and center. A family get-together was never going to be simple.
Then came the surprise decision that changed the geography of the whole row. Harry and Meghan moved back to the UK in August, after years in California, and Harry has made several rare visits back to his home country before that. Suddenly the cousins live in the same country again, and the question of whether the families will meet has real weight behind it.
It is not as if olive branches have never been offered. Reports said Harry and Meghan reached out to Kate after her cancer diagnosis in March 2024, an indication that both sides have tried to extend a hand at painful moments. "We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace," a statement from the Sussexes read. That message, warm and private in tone, showed the door was never fully closed.
Harry himself has now said what he wants, plainly. In a recent interview, he opened up about his estranged relationship with William and explained that he would like to reconcile, saying, "I want it to work out." When pressed, he added that "the most important thing is to reconcile". He also said the decision to move back was made because of opportunities for the family, and that being able to put the kids in a British school has meant a lot to him, more than he knew.
Since Harry and Meghan's return to the UK, royal fans have been waiting with bated breath to see if the two brothers will reunite. Harry is said to be in contact with his father, but any interactions with William have not yet been reported. That gap, between a father back in touch and a brother still out of reach, is where the old suggestion sits today.
No comment was reported from the Waleses on whether the visit suggestion still stands. The original offer belonged to a different moment, before the move back, before the latest interviews, before the children started British school. Whether it could be revived now is an open question, and nobody on either side has answered it in public.
What This Means (Our Analysis)
The reason this old suggestion matters now is that the facts on the ground have changed. In 2024, a visit meant a special trip, with all the planning and pressure that brings. Now the families live in the same country, the children are in British schools, and a cousins' meeting would not need a grand occasion at all. It could be small, private and ordinary, which may be exactly why it feels more possible than it did.
At the same time, Harry's own words suggest the bigger prize is not a single visit but a real reconciliation with his brother. A children's playdate will not fix a rift built over years of memoir revelations, interviews and silence. But it could be a first step, a low-stakes way for two families to be in the same room without the weight of a formal summit. That may be why the Waleses framed it that way in the first place.
For now, the suggestion remains what it always was, an offer that has not led anywhere yet. The difference is that Harry has now said out loud that he wants it to work out, and the families are finally close enough for someone to act on it. Whether anyone picks up the phone is the next chapter, and it has not been written yet.
- William and Kate once suggested Harry and Meghan bring Archie and Lilibet on a visit so the cousins could spend time together.
- The suggestion was made ahead of Harry's 2024 Invictus Games anniversary return, but it has not led anywhere so far.
- Meghan did not attend the 2024 London ceremony, and no other royals were present at Harry's St Paul's service.
- Harry has since said he wants to reconcile with William, calling it the most important thing.
- Harry is said to be in contact with his father, but interactions with William have not yet been reported.
