King Charles meets Prince Harry and grandchildren at Highgrove, Buckingham Palace says

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, visited Highgrove House in Gloucestershire on Friday, Buckingham Palace confirmed, marking the first in-person meeting between the King and his grandchildren in more than four years.

Palace officials described the gathering at the King’s private home as a private family occasion. The meeting took place in the afternoon and was confirmed by Buckingham Palace on Friday evening.

Prince Archie is seven and Princess Lilibet is five; this visit is the first time King Charles has seen them in person since 2022. The meeting follows longstanding strains in family relations after the Duke and Duchess stepped back from royal duties in 2020.

Prince Harry travelled to the UK alone earlier in the week for official engagements, and it had been reported that Meghan and the children would not attend his public events in the last two days of his visit; they instead joined him for the private family meeting at Highgrove.

While Harry and his family were at Highgrove, his brother, the Prince of Wales, was participating in a charity polo match in Windsor. Sources said there were no plans for the brothers to meet during this visit, and their relationship remains strained.

Earlier on Friday, Prince Harry took part in Invictus Games activities in Birmingham, where he was applauded by participants and tried wheelchair rugby and pickleball. His trip initially drew attention over a court defeat against Associated Newspapers and uncertainty about whether Meghan and the children would travel to the UK.

Prior to the family gathering, the King carried out engagements in Oxfordshire, opening a building at the University of Oxford and meeting astronaut Tim Peake at a space initiative launch. He and Queen Camilla were also pictured during a joint visit to London Zoo earlier in the week amid a UK heatwave.

It was reported that the family’s accommodation in the UK during the visit was not disclosed. Buckingham Palace reiterated the private nature of the Highgrove meeting and made no additional public statements about arrangements or future family meetings.