Prince Harry was 'buzzing' before Archie and Lilibet met King Charles

Daniel Windham, Chiara Fiorillo Mon, July 20, 2026 at 10:27 AM UTC

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met with King Charles this month (Image: Getty)

Prince Harry's demeanor in the hours leading up to his highly anticipated meeting with King Charles has been revealed, after the Duke of Sussex was seen taking part in a public appearance prior to the private family gathering.

The encounter at the King's Highgrove estate took place on Friday, July 10, away from public view, with no official images made available.

However, royal sources have now provided new insights into Harry's frame of mind both before and following the poignant reunion.

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Charles welcomed Meghan Markle and Harry's children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to Highgrove during the afternoon following days of uncertainty over whether the family gathering would happen.

Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, last met their grandfather face-to-face during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.

King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed the Sussexes and their children (Image: Getty)

Queen Camilla, who maintains a private residence near the King's Gloucestershire home, was also in attendance, it is understood.

The meeting between Charles and the young prince and princess is expected to be seen as a further move toward mending the relationship between the King and his youngest son, reports the Express.

Speaking on The Royals with Roya and Kate podcast, royal editor Roya Nikkhah said Harry had been in notably upbeat spirits during an Invictus Games event at Birmingham's NEC on the Friday, aware that the family gathering was scheduled for the next day.

She said, "What was interesting, I thought, was his demeanor when he was at Birmingham on Friday, when he clearly knew this meeting was going to happen.

"He was going to go from the NEC to Warwickshire. He seemed, and people who saw him there were like, he was pretty buzzing. He always is with Invictus, but he really was."

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Roya mentioned she subsequently contacted a member of Harry's team following the Highgrove meeting, who suggested the duke had intentionally maintained confidentiality about the specifics.

Harry reunited with his father Charles (Image: Getty)

"There was no leaking of what happened. There was no emotional response like we have had previously from Harry when he comes out to a meeting and says, 'I don't know how much longer my father's got,'" she said.

Rather, Roya said she was informed Harry was "energized, buoyed, very happy" after the reunion.

"So he was clearly delighted that it took place, regardless of all the drama and all the fighting between him and his family and his father. I think there is something about Harry being able to reintroduce his children, who've not seen their grandfather for four years," she added.

Podcast co-host Kate Mansey pointed out how Archie and Lilibet had not been to Britain since the Platinum Jubilee in 2022, while Meghan's most recent visit to the UK was for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral later that year.

Commenting on the importance of the reunion, Kate remarked, "Four years have gone by. A lot has been said from Montecito about the King, about Camilla, about the rest of the family. It would not have been an easy meeting."

Harry's relationship with Charles has been troubled since he and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and later made numerous public criticisms of the royal family through their Oprah Winfrey interview, Netflix documentary, television appearances and Harry's memoir Spare.

His feud with the Prince William also remains unhealed, with William participating in a charity polo match at Windsor on the same afternoon the Highgrove reunion occurred.

In February 2024, Harry flew from California to Britain shortly after Charles revealed his cancer diagnosis, a visit largely interpreted as the initial step toward reconciliation.

Harry had intended for Meghan and their children to accompany him during a week of engagements supporting charities and organizations close to his heart, including the Invictus Games.

While security concerns initially stopped them from traveling together at the beginning of the visit, it appears those issues were addressed in time for the family gathering at Highgrove.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”