Sensitive peace talks between royal aides have been thrown into disarray after details of a secret meeting were leaked to the media.
The clandestine summit between King Charles's communications secretary Tobyn Andreae and Prince Harry's communications chief Meredith Maines took place at a London private members' club last week.
The leak to the Mail on Sunday resulted in the aides being photographed outside the venue and even during their discussions on a balcony.
Sources close to the Sussexes have expressed frustration that the extraordinary meeting, which marked the first steps towards reconciliation between the two royal households, was exposed to public scrutiny.
Harry and Meghan ‘deeply frustrated’ after leak derails crunch peace talks with Palace.
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The meeting took place on Wednesday at the Royal Over-Seas League near Clarence House, a private members' club of which the King is patron.
Maines arrived by taxi at 3:50pm carrying a black Louis Vuitton bag, accompanied by Liam Maguire, who runs Harry and Meghan's UK public relations team.
Andreae arrived minutes later carrying a gift from Berry Bros & Rudd, the official wine supplier to the Royal Family.
The trio were photographed chatting over drinks on a first-floor garden terrace overlooking Green Park in the 26C sunshine, before continuing their discussions inside after 10 minutes.
Meredith Maines has been hired as the Sussexes' new head of communications.LinkedIn / Meredith MainesThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex have strongly denied being responsible for the leak. Sources close to Prince Harry insisted the Sussexes did not pass details of the meeting to the newspaper.
"Team Sussex was not responsible for leaking the details of a 'peace summit' to a tabloid newspaper, sources insist," the Telegraph reported.
The couple's representatives acknowledged that having the details splashed across newspaper front pages was not an ideal start to what they had hoped would be a new period of peace.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor Andreae have commented on the leak.
Tobyn Andreae and King Charles pictured in November 2024.
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Neither Buckingham Palace nor Andreae have commented on the leak.
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The leak has severely damaged the delicate reconciliation efforts, creating additional mistrust between the two royal camps.
"The leak has jeopardised the fragile peace operation, creating further suspicion and distrust on both sides and potentially sending them back to square one," according to the Telegraph.
Despite the setback, a source told the Mail on Sunday that the summit represented "the first step towards reconciliation between Harry and his father, but at least it is a step in the right direction."
The source added: "There's a long road ahead, but a channel of communication is now open for the first time in years."