Together again … almost. Prince Harry Meghan Markle didn’t see Prince William Duchess KateDuring their secret trip to Queen Elizabeth II‘s Windsor Castle residence.
The Cambridge couple “were not in attendance” as Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, caught up with the queen, 95, on their way to the Netherlands for the 2022 Invictus Games, a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were, however, “very excited” to reunite with Elizabeth, the insider notes.
A spokesperson confirmed that the statement was previously made. Use that the Archewell cofounders made a pit stop in London as they made their way to The Hague for Harry’s annual sporting event, which supports wounded and recovering servicemen and women. This was the first time Harry & Meghan had returned to the U.K. together since their last event as working senior royals in march 2020. The couple later moved to California, where they have been raising their son Archie, 2, as well as daughter Lilibet (10 months).
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle; Kate Middleton, and Prince William. Shutterstock (2)
The pair’s downtime with Harry’s grandmother “was very civil and friendly,” a second source tells UseShe also mentioned that the Sussexes had brought a birthday present for the monarch before he turns 96 on Thursday April 21st. Prince CharlesIt is also believed that he made a brief appearance at the family reunion.
The 39-year-old Duke of Cambridge “just happened to be skiing when Harry and Meghan were at Windsor Castle,” a third insider tells Use. “It was purely coincidental. Harry is returning to visit William soon and hopes to meet him in person. They are trying to figure things out.”
Per the source, “Harry and Meghan had a wonderful time seeing the queen again. It was one of the biggest highlights of their year so far.”
During a BBC One special, Harry opened up to reporters about his visit with Elizabeth. “She had plenty of messages for Team U.K., which I have already passed on to most of them,” he said on Monday, April 18, gushing that it was “great” to see the royal matriarch again. “I’m sure she would love to be here if she could.”
Although tensions within the royal family have been high since Harry and the SuitsThe couple are still friends despite the fact that the alum left the palace. The former military pilot’s relationships with Charles, 73, and William have been more rocky, especially after Harry’s bombshell claims about his relatives during his March 2021 CBS sit-down with Meghan.
The BetterUp CIO has flown back to the U.K. several times since moving stateside, including for the late Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021 and for the unveiling of a statue honoring the late Princess Diana months later. A source exclusively revealed that the year ended with a total of 58 flights. UseCharles and Harry were making progress in their father-son relationship.
“Charles and Harry are in communication,” the insider noted in December 2021. “There [are]They still have many issues to resolve and they need to move forward. … There is still a lot of work to do before their relationship is rebuilt.”
Things are still up in the air when it comes his older brother. Harry previously told the BBC in 2019 that he and William were on “different paths,” and their divide has seemingly grown deeper since. Harry wants his children to meet Prince George (8 years old), Princess Charlotte (6 years) and Prince Louis (3 years), who William shares with Kate (40).
“[They] feel it would be wrong to rob their children of the opportunity of getting to know their cousins,” an insider told Use in January, noting that “the distance factor” has “obviously” made things challenging for the two families.
Natalie Posner reporting
