Inside Charles’s reunion with Harry, Meghan and their kids: How they used a Highgrove lunch for Chanel students to hide the private meeting… and why the Sussexes were full of smiles during the trip

As a cortege of luxury cars carrying guests for a private Chanel luncheon passed through the gates of the King’s Gloucestershire estate on Friday, one vehicle attracted little attention.

Inside were Prince Harry, his wife Meghan, and their children Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, who had arrived at Highgrove for a private family gathering.

Away from cameras and the public gaze, the Sussexes entered Charles’ 900-acre estate unnoticed as dozens of guests turned up for an event organized by the French fashion house to honor students who had completed an elite 24-week embroidery course.

A source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Lots of cars were coming and going from Highgrove for the Chanel event, which helped the Sussexes’ car blend in and get onto the property undetected.’

Harry and his family are believed to have met King Charles and Queen Camilla between 3.30pm and 4pm and stayed with the couple for more than an hour. The meeting was particularly important because it was the first time Meghan, Archie and Lilibet had seen the 77-year-old monarch in person since 2022, who is still being treated for cancer.

During his visit to Warwickshire, Harry said: ‘I love being here, it’s the highlight of my month.’

There were hints earlier in the day that something big was brewing when Harry headed to the National Exhibition Center near Birmingham for the Invictus Games.

One observer said: ‘Harry arrived at Invictus with a huge smile spread all over his face.

‘Everyone looked absolutely delighted. It wasn’t just acting. Liam [Maguire]His assistant in England also looked exactly like the cat that got the cream. Then rumors started circulating that they were going to Highgrove.’

The family reunion at Highgrove had clearly boosted Harry’s spirits after a week dominated by negative headlines, including a row over his security and a crushing defeat in his privacy lawsuit against the Daily Mail.

Yesterday, the Duke of Sussex was all smiles as he attended Scotty’s Summer Festival at Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire. Harry is a global ambassador for the charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which supports bereaved children of military families.

During the festival, Harry playfully posed with children as he participated in ‘goat yoga’ surrounded by animals. At one point he joked, ‘Is there health and safety? Do they bite?’, he takes his place on the mat and imitates goat ears with his hands while standing on one leg in a tree pose. As Harry lay on his back as the goats trampled his body, someone in the crowd joked that the security team should have intervened to ‘protect the crown jewels’.

This weekend the Sussexes are believed to be staying at Althorp Manor in Northamptonshire, which was the ancestral home of Princess Diana’s family and is buried on a private island in the middle of the lake.

Harry and Meghan, who left the royal family and moved to California in 2020, explained that they wanted to introduce their children to their British roots. During his visit to Warwickshire, Harry said: ‘I love being here, it’s the highlight of my month. Actually probably the last few months. It’s so easy to sit in pain, to sit under stress, but friends, if you’re feeling it, share it.’

Harry is a global ambassador for the charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which supports bereaved children of military families.

The meeting with the King and Queen follows weeks of speculation and uncertainty over whether Meghan and the children will accompany him to the UK.

It was reported that the family was on holiday in Portugal and was staying in their own beach villa there.

Harry initially turned down the offer to stay at Buckingham Palace but changed his mind at the last minute. He was later told that the offer was canceled because Palace officials said it was impossible to prepare a room for him on short notice.

The Duke arrived in England on Monday. The next day, the Daily Mail lost a High Court case alleging misconduct by its publisher, Associated Newspapers. The company was cleared of all 97 charges made by Harry and others including Sir Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, Sir Simon Hughes and Baroness Doreen Lawrence.

Buckingham Palace confirmed on Friday that the meeting took place at Highgrove but refused to reveal any details about the ‘private family event’.

Earlier in the week, palace officials privately described the protracted drama surrounding the Sussexes’ trip as ‘exhausting’.

The Chanel event offered the perfect cover for the long-awaited Royal Family reunion. Six graduates were selected to take part in the course as part of a scholarship jointly funded by The King’s Foundation and the fashion house.

During the festival, Harry playfully posed with children as he participated in ‘goat yoga’ surrounded by animals.

During the 24-week residential program, students are taught the art of traditional handmade beading and haute couture dress embroidery. Photos taken at the event showcased some of the pieces, each of which took more than 400 hours to complete.

Students stay in converted annexes at Highgrove to attend daily lectures and lectures.

They each received a scholarship of £1,500 a month towards living expenses, paid by The King’s Foundation, and completed their training at the Chanel atelier in Paris.

The King has long regarded Highgrove as a sacred sanctuary, once calling it a ‘place of healing’.

It remains to be seen whether her secret reunion with her son Harry, daughter-in-law Meghan and two grandchildren she rarely sees will lead to a more lasting rapprochement with the happy-go-lucky Sussexes.