After five years of a painful rift that has seen the Royal Family split apart, a bombshell meeting between an aide for King Charles and two members of staff from ‘Camp Sussex’ has been hailed as the start of ‘peace’.

However, as maybe fitting in a feud that has rumbled on under the watchful glare of the world for so long, paparazzi photographs of the ‘top secret’ talks were later splashed over the cover of a newspaper.

It’s unclear why Charles’ Communications Secretary Tobyn Andreae and Prince Harry and Meghan’s Head of Communications ,Meredith Maines, alongside the couples’ UK PR Guru, Liam Maguire, opted to have their ‘undercover’ meeting on a balcony – but it seems the rare UK sunshine means that nobody, and nothing, stays behind-closed-doors, or palace walls.

But while the trio appeared in the photograph to be amicably chatting in depth , prompting speculation that some sort of ‘deal’ for a reunion between the estranged Sussexes and the Royal Family could be imminent, a source now tells Closer that Harry in particular has been left ‘freaking out’ over the shock leak.

The reason? Because Harry himself has spent the last five years telling his own truths about the Royal Family through interviews and his explosive 2023 tell-all, Spare– and now the insider says ‘the firm’ have raised their doubts over what role ‘camp Sussex’ did or didn’t play in this latest betrayal of trust within their inner circle.

The insider tells us, ‘Naturally the Palace is horrified and a lot of senior aides are pointing fingers at Harry and Meghan, who emphatically deny they had any part in tipping anyone off. However this is reflecting terribly on both of them at the worst possible time.

‘What worries them is that the King will think the worst, and that’s without considering the repercussions from Prince William, who reportedly has no trust in his brother.

‘Both sides are protesting their innocence as far as spilling the beans, so there’s a real mystery about how the news did get out.’

Yet now, with Harry and Meghan’s royal reunion potentially in jeopardy, the pair face a race against time to discover who tipped off the paparazzi or provided information about the meeting, which took place at private member’s club, the Royal Over-Seas League – an ultra-exclusive club of which Charles, 76, is a patron – which is based close to the King’s residence of Clarence House.

Now the source says several members of the Sussexes’ expansive team are set to be questioned in the coming days.

The source explains, ‘Right now they’re starting to fear it came from someone in their own camp, so a full investigation is underway and their staff are on tenterhooks.

‘The fact that paparazzi just so happened to capture images of both sets of aides together makes it very obvious that they were tipped off beforehand – there’s no real way to deny that.

‘The royals are not best pleased at all and the Sussexes are equally mystified, especially with fingers now being pointed at them. It’s yet another epic mess with Harry and Meghan at the centre of it.’

It was later reported that Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, had agreed that the leaks were not an ideal start to what could flourish into a poignant ceasefire between them and the Royal Family.

The Sussexes are said to have hoped that the meeting would be the much-needed start of a ‘period of peace’ and that they have strongly denied having played any role in the leak.

However, with Meghan having previously faced a litany of complaints by former staff – which Meghan’s team rejected as ‘the latest attack on her character’ – the source says questions have been raised over not just who, but why, this leak might have taken place at such a crucial turning point.

The source says, ‘A lot of people are pointing out that the Sussexes aren’t exactly known for having a good relationship with their staff, so the possibility of someone stirring the pot from their own team seems like a very logical bet.

‘But Harry has been quick to point out that it does him no favours to be seen as indiscreet, particularly at this early stage of the negotiating process, and he swears that nobody really knew about this news except for a handful of staff whom he and Meghan trust implicitly.’

This latest crisis also only exacerbates Harry’s long-held suspicion that certain members of ‘the firm’, who he has famously called ‘the men in grey suits’, manipulated the public narrative about Meghan – painting a picture of her as a ‘diva’.

Our source says, ‘He’s assuming that someone must have gotten hold of the information from within the Palace, then leaked it out in order to point the finger of blame at him and Meghan.

‘That certainly wouldn’t surprise Harry, he’s always been incredibly cynical of how things operate behind the Palace walls, but he also knows the King is deeply loyal to his staff and that he may opt to fear the worst.’

But wherever the finger is pointed, the source says Harry knows with startling clarity that this could be his last ever chance to make amends with his father, who continues to undergo treatment for cancer after being diagnosed last year.

The source adds, ‘It’s all very depressing and stressful, because he’s so desperate for these peace talks to go well and to sit down in person with his father, and eventually his whole family.

‘But right now this is a mess and it’s thrown a spanner in the works at the worst possible time. Only time will tell if it derails the ongoing discussions entirely, which of course would be a nightmare scenario for the Sussexes and a very sad situation all round.’