When King Charles attended his first in-person audience with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday afternoon, he sent out a strong and positive message about his recovery. He may be undergoing cancer treatment, but he remains in good spirits and is more than capable of carrying out his constitutional responsibilities. 

Revealing he has been deeply touched by the many messages of support he has received from the public over the past weeks, Charles looked genuinely delighted to be having a face-to-face meeting with Sunak and was more than happy with the unusually busy photocall. 

However, sources close to the king insist that while Charles wants to show the world it is “business as usual,” reports about his son Prince Harry returning to official duties are incorrect. “The idea of Harry coming back to the UK to carry out engagements on behalf of the King is highly, highly unlikely,” a well-placed source tells Vanity Fair. “There is a carefully mapped out contingency plan in place if the king is unable to carry out public-facing engagements over the coming months, and none of these involve Prince Harry.”

VF previously reported that Prince William is being lined up to stand in for King Charles if the monarch is unable to attend next month’s Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. Sources close to the Prince of Wales say that the idea Harry could return to the royal fold in a working capacity is “unthinkable.” “The brothers are barely speaking so the idea of William wanting Harry to come back and represent the firm is both laughable and unthinkable,” says a friend.

Reports over the weekend suggested that Harry is willing to return to royal duties if he is ever needed. As a Counsellor of State, Harry could have been called upon to carry out duties on behalf of the monarch, however, the palace has amended the law so that only working members of the royal family, such as William, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, can do so. It means that Harry and Prince Andrew, who has been banished from royal life, will be left out of the line of duty.

Last week, Harry hinted in an interview with Good Morning America that he “loved” his family, suggesting he is paving the way for a reconciliation. He also said he believed his father’s illness could bring the family back together. Meanwhile, The Times reported that Harry has told friends he would be willing to step into a temporary role and other reports have suggested a thawing in relations between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton, again something dismissed as wide of the mark by sources close to Princess Kate.

And while Harry seems keen to paper over the cracks, palace aides have insisted that a cool distance remains between the Sussexes and the royal family. While Harry traveled from California to see his father in a last-minute dash following the king’s shocking cancer diagnosis, he was apparently told to wait until the king was at Sandringham. "The advice was for Harry to leave it a while and come to see his father in Sandringham while he was recuperating, but there was a big rush for Harry to come and see his father. It was all very last minute hence why the meeting was so short,” says a source. 

Harry’s visit was just 30 minutes in the end, and he was not invited to join Charles and Camilla at Sandringham. It is not known when Prince Harry plans to return to see his father, however, they are understood to be in regular contact via phone.