King Charles understood to have met Prince Harry’s children at Highgrove | King Charles III
King Charles is understood to have had a special reunion with his grandchildren, whom he has not seen for four years.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet were hosted by Charles and Queen Camilla at the king’s private residence, Highgrove House, in Gloucestershire, on Friday afternoon.
Charles last saw Archie and Lilibet during the late queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations in 2022.
A family reunion was speculated when it was announced that Prince Harry would be promoting the Invictus Games in England this week.
But despite initial plans for Meghan to join him at some public events in Birmingham, a last-minute change of plans saw Meghan pull out. It is not known when he arrived in England. It was learned that the couple was on holiday in Portugal with their children before coming to England.
The reunion comes after a roller-coaster week for Harry; This includes a high court judge’s dismissal on Tuesday of a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Ltd for illegal collection of information.
Harry’s arrival was also preceded by a row over the rejection of taxpayer-funded cover for the family while they were in the UK and the withdrawal of an offer of accommodation at the royal residence. This led to the Sussexes changing their plans and deciding that Meghan and the children would no longer travel to London.
Harry’s request for a night alone at Buckingham Palace was later rejected; At a side briefing in Sussex it was understood this was due to an impending court decision and the palace insisted its request was too late for proper security and staffing.
No details were given about Friday’s Highgrove meeting, but it marks a clear step towards healing the public rift between Harry and his father since he publicly criticized his family and the institution of the monarchy in a series of television interviews and in his best-selling memoir Spare.
After leaving the working monarchy six years ago, she criticized her father, stepmother Camilla, brother the Prince of Wales and sister-in-law Catherine in Oprah and Netflix documentary interviews and in Spare.
Her rift with Prince William shows no sign of abating, and the family reunion took place on the afternoon when William played in a charity polo match in Windsor.
In February 2024, Harry made a transatlantic trip from his home in California to Britain to see his father following the king’s cancer diagnosis, which may have led to the first steps of reconciliation between the pair.
Harry has previously spoken about his desire to reunite his children with their father. It is understood she and Charles have spoken regularly on the phone in recent months.
Meghan, the couple’s World War II He has not visited the UK since September 2022, when he arrived for a series of charity engagements that coincided with Elizabeth’s death.
