Queen Camilla will play a vital role in Harry and Meghan's reintroduction to royal life, royal sources have revealed. The Queen has helped husband Charles soften his stance towards the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for the sake of having a relationship with his grandchildren, insiders have said.
Highgrove meeting and family bond
Camilla was present at the recent meeting at Highgrove between the King and the Sussexes, alongside their children Archie, seven and Lilibet, five. Despite her duties to the Crown, including becoming the central figure for the monarchy when the King and Princess of Wales took a leave of absence during their respective cancer treatment, Camilla has maintained a close bond with her children and grandchildren throughout.
The Queen, who is holidaying at Balmoral in Scotland this week, was seen last week in the town of Ballater - just a few miles from the royal estate - on a family day out with her sister Annabel Elliott, her daughter Laura Lopes, and her rarely-seen granddaughter, Eliza Lopes, 18. Also present were her 16-year-old twin grandsons Gus and Harry Lopes, Eliza's younger brothers.
Urging the King not to shut out his son
Royal sources suggest it is her close knit family who have got her through testing times in her life, and provided some of her greatest joys spending time with her loved ones. Sources have revealed that despite arguably coming in for some of the most intense criticism in Harry's bombshell book, Camilla has urged the King not to shut his estranged son out, following his diagnosis with cancer in 2024.
In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry described Queen Camilla as "dangerous" and accused her of leaking private conversations and trading stories with the British tabloid press to rehabilitate her public image and pave her way to becoming queen. Harry, 41, also revealed how he and William begged their father not to marry Camilla, fearing she would be a "wicked stepmother". In one of his most shocking barbs, Harry also accused the Queen of sacrificing him on her "personal PR altar" to gain favorable media coverage, stating that her connections to the press left "bodies in the street".
Yet, those who know her best, suggest Camilla, 79, is "not one to hold a grudge for the sake of it". One source said: "The Queen is very capable of seeing the bigger picture."
Sussexes' return to the UK
The King had made time to see his son on three occasions when he has visited the UK and is expected to see the family on their return to Britain, when they arrive at the end of the month. It is not yet clear where the Sussexes will live, although the Cotswolds has been heavily rumoured in royal circles.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have joined the King and Queen this week at Balmoral, where sources say the Sussexes' return "will obviously come up". "Everyone is relaxed about it," a source said. "Nothing has changed from the previous agreement laid out following the Duke and Duchess' departure from royal life six years ago," one insider added. "The King has always maintained that Harry and Meghan and their family remain an important part of family life, wherever they reside".
Despite the Prince and Princess of Wales staying at Balmoral with their three children, a source close to the future king and queen denied there would be an "official summit" of the family. "The family are looking forward to spending time with the king and queen for the end of the summer holidays."
