The royal family has “got to get a move on” to reconcile with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle before King Charles’s coronation in May, Buckingham Palace sources have said.

The two sides haven’t spoken since before the release of the Duke of Sussex’s explosive memoir in which he was critical of his older brother William and his father, King Charles.

Despite Spare pulling no punches in its criticism of the family, Prince Harry has repeatedly asserted in the book and in television appearances promoting the 400-word publication that he seeks reconciliation with his family.

A royal source close to King Charles told The Times they believed a meeting between the warring royals could happen in the next few months.

They said: “It’s going to take flexibility on all sides, but it can be done, it’s fixable. It needs Harry over here, in the room with the King and prince of Wales, a couple of other family members, some of ‘his people’ he trusts who always had his back, so he doesn’t think he’s being ambushed.

“Someone like Elf [Ed Lane Fox, Harry’s former private secretary] and Christopher [Lord Geidt, the late Queen’s former private secretary who advised the Sussexes].

“Both sides need to hold their hands up and admit we didn’t get everything right, and we got a lot wrong, and we have to say to him ‘we understand the pain you’ve been through’. The King can do it.”

Peace talks could prove a more difficult prospect for Prince William, who is accused of assaulting his little brother in the book.

However, the royal source, who also is said to know William well, said the Prince of Wales was “loyal to the throne” and knows “what needs to be done for the country”.

They added: “We’ve got to move on it, and get it done by April. Then, we need to get the wives in. The King needs a clear run for the coronation.”

It comes just days after claims that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would be invited to the coronation but would find a reason not to attend.

A source close to the royal family told The Independent: “The King does not expect them to be at the coronation.

“The family will extend the invitation but it would be very hard for Harry and Meghan to be there given everything that has been said in the interviews and the book. The family expects Harry and Meghan to find a reason not to be there.”

Prince Harry’s headline-grabbing memoir also details his frustration at being the “spare to the heir”, his anger at the UK media, his unresolved trauma over the death of his mother, his mental health struggles and his lonely life before meeting Meghan.

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