King Charles, Queen Camilla meet with Prince Harry, Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet at Highgrove House in London
Danica Kirka And Brian Melley
Updated ,first published
London: King Charles III hosted Prince Harry and met with his family for the first time in years on Friday, trying to mend a rift that has continued since his youngest son and his wife left royal life and moved to America six years ago.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that Harry, Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, met the King and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House, a country estate in west London.
The Duke of Sussex arrived in his hometown on Monday for a series of charity events that were overshadowed by speculation about whether he would meet his father.
British tabloids and news publications were full of speculation about whether Meghan, Duchess of Sussex would accompany him and, more importantly, whether they would bring both of their children so they could finally get to know Grandpa Charles.
However, the ruler’s program is often years in the making and is drafted long before events take place. The opportunity to hold such a meeting would be very short-lived, especially since the children would need to return to school in the fall and they lived in California.
The desire to seize the moment increased tensions between Harry and royal officials earlier this week. This was highlighted by embarrassing scenes in which royal officials first invited Harry to stay at Buckingham Palace, then rescinded the offer after the prince failed to accept it in time.
Harry’s visit also coincided with him losing his latest court case in his quest to tame the British tabloids. A judge ruled that he failed to prove his privacy invasion claims against the publisher. Daily Mail.
But his legal battles caused friction with his family. Harry said he wanted to make peace with his 77-year-old father, who is being treated for an undisclosed type of cancer.
Harry and Charles met briefly for a cup of tea during a brief visit to London in September; It was the first time they had seen each other in over a year.
However, the prince did not want his children to be married to the late Queen Elizabeth II for the first time. He also wanted Elizabeth to see the monarch, whom they met during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.
Royal children Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, are now old enough to remember meeting their grandfather and will certainly be hoping to get a photo with the king, although the event is considered private and no photos have been made public.
Tensions within the House of Windsor have risen since Harry and Meghan abandoned royal duties and moved to California in pursuit of lucrative media deals, away from the pressures of royal life in London.
They hit a new low after Harry published an explosive memoir containing unflattering depictions of the royal family and damning allegations about the toxic relationship between the monarchy and the press.
Harry’s revelation that the royal family leaked information about other family members in exchange for positive coverage of them is just one of the tawdry allegations in his book “The Understudy.” The prince accused Camilla of making private conversations available to the media, especially as she sought to improve her image following her long relationship with Charles when he was heir to the throne.
Harry, who lost a court battle over the security issue last year, said he hoped to rebuild relations with his family, although he claimed the royal family was trying to prevent him from receiving police protection to punish him for straying from his duties.
“I would love to reconcile with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” Harry told the BBC. “I don’t know how long my father has left to live.”
