Prince Harry's demeanour in the hours preceding his highly anticipated reunion with King Charles has been disclosed, after the Duke of Sussex was observed undertaking a public engagement ahead of the private family gathering.
The meeting at the King's Highgrove estate occurred on Friday, July 10, away from public view, with no official images made available. However, royal sources have now provided fresh insights into Harry's frame of mind both before and following the emotional reunion.
Harry's Buzzing Demeanour Before the Reunion
Speaking on The Royals with Roya and Kate podcast, royal editor Roya Nikkhah disclosed that Harry had seemed in high spirits while attending an Invictus Games engagement at Birmingham's NEC on the Friday, aware the family reunion was due to take place the following day.
She said: "What was interesting, I thought, was his demeanor when he was at Birmingham on Friday, when he clearly knew this meeting was going to happen. He was going to go from the NEC to Warwickshire. He seemed, and people who saw him there were like, he was pretty buzzing. He always is with Invictus, but he really was."
Reunion with Children and Camilla's Presence
This follows the King being reunited with his grandchildren when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited the King's Gloucestershire country residence, it is understood. Charles welcomed Meghan and Harry's children, Archie and Lilibet, to Highgrove during the afternoon following days of conjecture over whether the family gathering would proceed. Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, last saw their grandfather face-to-face during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.
It is understood Queen Camilla, who maintains a private residence near the King's Gloucestershire home, was also in attendance. The encounter between Charles and the young prince and princess is likely to be regarded as a further step towards mending the relationship between the King and his youngest son, reports the Express.
Harry Energized After the Meeting
Roya said she subsequently spoke to a member of Harry's team following the meeting at Highgrove, who suggested the duke had intentionally kept details of the meeting private. "There was no leaking of what happened. There was no emotional response like we have had previously from Harry when he comes out to a meeting and says, 'I don't know how much longer my father's got,'" she said.
Instead, Roya said she was informed that Harry was "energized, buoyed, very happy" after the reunion. "So he was clearly delighted that it took place, regardless of all the drama and all the fighting between him and his family and his father. I think there is something about Harry being able to reintroduce his children, who've not seen their grandfather for four years," she added.
Four Years of Estrangement
Podcast co-host Kate Mansey observed that Archie and Lilibet had not returned to Britain since the Platinum Jubilee in 2022, while Meghan's most recent visit to the UK was for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral later that year. Considering the importance of the reunion, Kate remarked: "Four years have gone by. A lot has been said from Montecito about the King, about Camilla, about the rest of the family. It would not have been an easy meeting."
Background of Strained Relations
Harry's relationship with Charles has been fraught since he and Meghan withdrew from royal duties in 2020 and subsequently levelled a series of public criticisms at the Royal Family through their Oprah Winfrey interview, Netflix documentary, television appearances and Harry's memoir Spare. His estrangement from the Prince of Wales also continues, with William participating in a charity polo match at Windsor on the same afternoon the Highgrove reunion occurred.
In February 2024, Harry flew from California to Britain shortly after Charles revealed his cancer diagnosis, a visit broadly interpreted as the initial step towards reconciliation. Harry had intended for Meghan and their children to accompany him during a week of engagements supporting charities and organisations dear to his heart, including the Invictus Games. While security concerns initially prevented them from travelling together at the outset of the visit, it seems those matters were resolved in time for the family gathering at Highgrove.
