King Charles has enjoyed a private reunion with his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, whom he had not seen for four years, it is understood. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children were hosted by Charles and Queen Camilla at the king’s private residence, Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, on Friday afternoon.
The last time Charles saw Archie and Lilibet was during the late queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations in 2022. The reunion follows a bumpy week for Prince Harry, including a high court judge’s dismissal of his claim against Associated Newspapers Ltd over unlawful information gathering on Tuesday.
Background of the Rift
Harry’s arrival was preceded by a row over the refusal of taxpayer-funded security for the family while in the UK, and the withdrawal of an offer of accommodation at a royal residence. It led to the Sussexes changing their plans and the decision that Meghan and the children would no longer travel to London. Harry’s request for him alone to stay one night at Buckingham Palace was then refused, with the Sussex side briefing it was because of the impending court judgment, and the palace understood to have been insistent his request was too late for appropriate security and staffing provision.
No details were being given of Friday’s Highgrove meeting, but it marks a clear step towards healing the very public rift between Harry and his father since his public criticism of his family and the institution of the monarchy in a series of television interviews and his bestselling memoir Spare. He criticised his father, his stepmother Camilla, brother the Prince of Wales, and sister-in-law Catherine in his Oprah and Netflix documentary interviews and in Spare, after stepping down from the working monarchy six years ago.
Impact and Future Steps
Harry’s rift with Prince William shows no sign of abating and the family reunion took place on the same afternoon William was playing in a charity polo match at Windsor. In February 2024 Harry made a transatlantic dash from his California home to Britain to see his father after the king’s cancer diagnosis, which may have led to the first steps in a reconciliation between the pair. Harry has previously spoken of his wish to reunite his children with his father. He and Charles are understood to have regularly spoken on the phone in recent months. Meghan has not visited the UK since September 2022, when the couple flew in for a series of charity engagements that coincided with the death of Elizabeth II.
