Prince Harry appeared unusually upbeat ahead of his private reunion with King Charles, according to a royal expert who observed the Duke of Sussex at an Invictus Games event in Birmingham. Roya Nikkhah, royal editor, noted Harry's cheerful demeanour at the NEC on the Friday before the meeting, despite knowing the family gathering was imminent.
The reunion took place at Highgrove, King Charles’s Gloucestershire home, away from public view and without official photographs. It was the first time the King had seen his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, since the Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Queen Camilla, who has a residence near Highgrove, was also present.
Speaking on The Royals with Roya and Kate podcast, Nikkhah said Harry seemed “buzzing” at the Invictus event, adding that after the Highgrove visit, a member of Harry’s team indicated no details were leaked. “There was no emotional response like we have had previously from Harry,” she said, suggesting he came away feeling positive about the meeting.
The reunion follows years of tension between Harry and the Royal Family, exacerbated by the Sussexes stepping back from royal duties in 2020 and subsequent public claims in interviews and Harry’s memoir, Spare. Harry’s relationship with his brother, the Prince of Wales, remains strained; William attended a charity polo match on the same afternoon as the Highgrove gathering.
Harry’s February 2024 visit to the UK after King Charles’s cancer diagnosis was seen as an early step toward reconciliation. The recent family meeting, involving Harry’s children, is viewed as a potential sign of improving relations, though the four-year gap since their last meeting with the King highlighted ongoing difficulties.
