Prince Harry is returning to the UK in July, and speculation is already growing about whether he will meet with King Charles when he is back in his home country - with critics slamming the idea

Whilst loud voices insist King Charles should not reunite with Prince Harry - they might be missing a trick.

This week, it's been announced that the King will be travelling to the US for an official state visit that had become something of a controversial point. There's been an ongoing war of words between President Donald Trump against the UK and some of the US's other longstanding allies over their hesitation to get directly involved in his war against Iran.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that the UK should focus on relationships in Europe, but sending the King over to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence is a classic example of the monarchy flexing what is often dubbed its "soft power" muscles. The King, as a constitutionally non-political figure, has some room to manoeuvre when it comes to easing relations that Starmer, answerable to the electorate, does not.

It's often pointed out that this kind of soft diplomacy is where the monarchy comes into its own and proves its use, with the late Queen Elizabeth often credited as being expert at it. Charles isn't bad himself after decades of preparation - but the fraught relationships inside the House of Windsor might still prove to dispel some of the mythology surrounding the Royal Family's unifying abilities.

It's been reported that Charles won't be seeing Harry whilst he is stateside, nor his grandchildren, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four - who he has not seen for four years. The father and son will still be 3,000 miles apart when Charles visits Washington DC in an attempt to form a charm offensive against Trump, so though the physical gap between them might have lessened somewhat, its still no small distance.

Harry will be heading back to the UK in July, where he will be marking the one year countdown to the Invictus Games taking place in Birmingham, as well as supporting other charities with which he has long worked, but rumours are already swirling on whether the King will reunite with his youngest son when he is back in the country.

Reports had claimed that Harry was trying to score an invite to Sandringham - but the Mirror understands that this is not actually the case. Whilst the Duke would be open to some family time if timings suited everyone, he has not been angling for an invite to the Norfolk estate owned by the King - with Prince William and Princess Kate's holiday home Amner Hall in the area, and the disgraced Andrew living in a bog-ridden property close by.

If popularity is now the contingent upon which provision of taxpayer-funded security rests, certain former prime ministers must be quaking in their boots. It's a strange precedent to set, if true.

No matter how many times it's made clear that the threats facing Harry and his family are entirely real, or that people are reminded that Harry was born into the Royal Family, and nothing he can do will ever change that - the calls for him to never again feel safe in his home country, or for his father to give him the time of day, get ever louder. It looks nothing less than punitive, and petty.

Putting the issue of security aside temporarily, the Royal Family, it seems, are once again being given an opportunity to live up the mythology around the crown - a supposedly unifying symbol that the entire nation is meant to be able to get behind - but are refusing to settle personal scores.

The King and his heir could win themselves some golden PR points here: mend fences, show unity, and prove that even amidst the internal family dysfunction that has played out on the global stage, they will put personal grudges aside for the good of the Firm. If the King and Supreme Governor of the Church of England - which teaches forgiveness, and famously welcomes prodigal sons back home - can't get his family back together, how are the Windsors supposed to do it for the whole country?

The stench of the scandal surrounding Andrew Mountbatten Windsor continues to linger, with questions asked about just how much the other royals knew about his alleged wrongdoing - which he denies vehemently - and when. With this controversy surrounding the Firm in a dark cloud, missing an opportunity for magnanimity and leadership looks incredibly short-sighted. Their ongoing exile of Harry is also cast into a different light - how was Andrew accused of serious allegations, given more chances than the Duke of Sussex?

Many might take a dim view of the public candour Harry has had in the last few years about his issues with his family, and some of those working inside the institution they make up - but one thing is clear, neither side trust the other. Until King Charles - the head that wears the crown, CEO of the Firm itself - takes steps to rebuild bridges, and get the rest of the House of Windsor in line behind him, the disunity will always stand stark against the nature of his role.

It's a funny business, being a human being and the symbol for a nation, the banner we are all expected to get behind. Perhaps one of the only luxuries the monarch is denied is having a family feud in peace. Charles might have distanced himself as much as he can publicly from the Andrew crisis, but repairing some of the other disharmony in the Royal Family could help take the Windsors into a new chapter, and move on from the controversy that has plagued them for years.

Andrew's security is said by the former head of royal protection to have set the public back £150 million over the course of his life. Despite being accused of wrongdoing and under investigation by the police, there's been no suggestion that this should be paid back to the public purse. Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan's renovations on their UK home of Frogmore Cottage were paid back in full after they moved to the US.

Harry won't be invited to Sandringham, the critics assure us - but don't forget who is currently more than welcome in Norfolk.