Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet traveled to the Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire on Friday for a private family gathering. While numerous guests drove to King Charles’s estate for an exclusive Chanel-hosted luncheon, the Sussexes’ arrival initially went unnoticed, according to the Daily Mail.
Away from the public eye, the family met with the monarch and Queen Camilla. For Meghan and the children, it was their first in-person meeting with Charles since 2022.
Harry, Meghan, and the Children Meet Charles at Highgrove
According to the Daily Mail, the afternoon meeting is said to have begun between about 3:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. and lasted more than an hour. An insider explained that the large number of vehicles associated with the Chanel event caused the Sussexes’ car to get lost in the crowd.
Buckingham Palace later confirmed that it was a "private family occasion" said she had acted accordingly, but did not provide any further details. The meeting was considered uncertain even before it took place, because it remained unclear for a long time whether Meghan and the children would even accompany Harry to the United Kingdom.
The Chanel Lunch Provided a Discreet Backdrop for the Arrival
At the same time, an event was held at the sprawling country estate to honor graduates of a rigorous embroidery program. The project is co-sponsored by the King’s Foundation and the French fashion house. Six participants had completed a 24-week course in which they learned hand-bead embroidery and intricate embellishments for haute couture dresses.
Photos showed works that each took more than 400 hours to complete. During their training, the scholarship recipients lived in converted outbuildings on the estate and later completed parts of their training at the Chanel atelier in Paris.
Prince Harry Appeared Remarkably Relaxed Before the Meeting
Even before the gathering, there had been signs that Harry had an important engagement coming up. During an appearance for the Invictus Games at the National Exhibition Center near Birmingham, observers noted that he was in particularly good spirits. Later, the royal also appeared relaxed and approachable at Scotty’s Summer Festival at Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire.
While there, he even took part in “goat yoga” and joked: "Is there health and safety? Do they bite?" , according to Harry, as reported by the *Daily Mail*. He then balanced on a mat in the tree pose while goats ran around him.
The trip to the United Kingdom followed a Difficult Period
The reunion with Charles and Camilla came after a tense week. Harry had arrived in the United Kingdom on Monday, before losing his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers the following day. There had also been discussions about security issues and his stay.
According to reports, he had initially turned down an offer to stay at Buckingham Palace and later changed his mind, but by then it was too late to prepare a room for him at short notice. Harry and Meghan are said to have spent the weekend at the Althorp estate in Northamptonshire, the family home of Princess Diana, who was buried there on an island in the lake.
