Prince Harry and his father, King Charles III, have reunited amid the royal family's estrangement from the outspoken prince.

Harry, who has been vocal about his experiences of growing up in the British monarchy, arrived at Charles' London residence on Wednesday, Sept. 10, for their first meeting in 20 months and a possible first step towards ending a much-publicized rift.

The prince's car was seen arriving at Charles' Clarence House home. Charles, 76, held a royal audience there earlier in the day.

USA TODAY has reached out to Buckingham Palace and representatives for Prince Harry for comment.

Harry, the Duke of Sussex, last saw his father in February 2024, shortly after it was announced that Charles was undergoing treatment for an unspecified form of cancer.

The unexpected reunion comes amid Harry's visit to the U.K. On Sunday, Sept. 7, the third anniversary of the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, Harry attended the WellChild Awards, an annual charity event for seriously ill children. On Sept. 10, Harry, 40, visited a research center that specializes in improving treatment for victims with blast injuries.

Since Harry and his wife, Duchess Meghan, moved to California in 2020, they have been highly critical of the royal family and the institution in interviews, TV documentaries and Harry's autobiography "Spare".

Harry had some particularly barbed comments for Charles and his elder brother, heir-to-the-throne Prince William, leading to a total breakdown in his relationship with his family.

What has Prince Harry said about King Charles III?

In "Spare," Harry reflected that Charles "wasn't great at showing emotions under normal circumstances." The Duke of Sussex also recalled a tense confrontation with Charles and Prince William at the funeral of Harry's grandfather, Prince Philip, which came a year after Harry and Meghan stepped down from their senior roles in the royal family.

"Every time I ventured a new explanation, started a new line of thought, one or both of them would cut me off," Harry wrote. "Willy in particular didn't want to hear anything. After he'd shut me down several times, he and I began sniping, saying some of the same things we'd said for months — years. It got so heated that Pa raised his hands. Enough!

"He stood between us, looking up at our flushed faces. 'Please, boys – don't make my final years a misery.'"

Harry, who recently lost a legal battle with the British government over his security, said in May that he wanted to repair his family relationships despite past emotional tensions.

"Of course some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course they will never forgive me for lots of things. But you know ... I would love reconciliation with my family ... There's no point in continuing to fight anymore. And life is precious," Harry told the BBC.

"I don't know how much longer my father has. He won't speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile."

Contributing: Michael Holden and William James, Reuters; Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Prince Harry reunites with father King Charles III for first time in over a year

Reporting by Edward Segarra, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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