Prince Harry has denied claims that his recent meeting with King Charles left him feeling like an “official visitor” rather than a family member, dismissing the report as “categorically false.”

In a statement to PEOPLE on Sept. 27, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex, 41, pushed back on recent reports — including one published by The Sun on Sept. 26 — that described the Sept. 10 reunion at Clarence House as “distinctly formal.”

“Recent reporting of The Duke’s view of the tone of the meeting is categorically false,” Harry’s spokesperson said in a statement to PEOPLE on Sept. 27. “The quotes attributed to him are pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son. Presumably, those same sources have also chosen to disclose that gifts were exchanged.”

The spokesperson also confirmed that Harry presented his father with a framed photograph, but clarified that it did not include Harry or Meghan Markle.

“While we would have preferred such details to remain private, for the sake of clarity, we can confirm that a framed photograph was handed over, however, the image did not contain the Duke and Duchess,” the spokesperson added.

The statement suggests instead that the picture featured only the King’s grandchildren, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, whom he has not seen in more than three years.

On Sept. 10, Prince Harry met with King Charles at Clarence House in London for a private tea, for the first time in person since February 2024. The reunion took place for about 55 minutes at King’s London residence.

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Prince Harry and King Charles in 2019
Prince Harry’s latest statement comes following The Sun’s claims that he felt more like an “official visitor” than a family member during his meeting with King Charles and that he described the reunion as “very official, like an official visit.”

Prince Harry’s meeting with King Charles took place as he visited the U.K. in early September. The reunion is a significant step for the father and son, after not seeing each other for more than a year.

For Harry, keeping details of the meeting private would be important — and very much in his best interest. He has not spoken publicly about the visit, and close observers of the family dynamic are paying careful attention to what happens next.

“If we hear nothing, there will be another meeting. If we hear something, it will be a very long time before there is one,” Robert Hardman, author of The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, previously told PEOPLE.

Prince Harry briefly commented on the reunion afterward as he attended a special reception in London for supporters and friends of his adaptive sports competition, the Invictus Games. When a reporter asked how his father was, he replied, “Yes, he’s great, thank you.”

He also told The Guardian in the days following the reunion that over the coming year “the focus really has to be on my dad.”

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Prince Harry attends Invictus Engagements in Lodon on Sept. 10
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The Duke of Sussex and his father have been estranged in recent years amid a series of family rifts, along with a legal battle over the removal of security for Harry, his wife Meghan and their children. Harry lost his appeal earlier this year.

In May, the Duke of Sussex told the BBC that he wanted “reconciliation” with his father, but that the monarch “won’t speak to me.”

The pair’s latest meeting, however, suggests that they are making positive moves in repairing their relationship. “It’s a massive step in the right direction,” Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary Ailsa Anderson told PEOPLE after the meeting. “It’s a building of trust.”