The King and the Prince of Wales have been enjoying their annual
summer break at Balmoral but this year’s gathering has taken on an
added dimension. Prince William joined King Charles at the royal
residence in Scotland just hours after Harry and Meghan announced
they were heading back to the UK. And that’s led to questions about
just how the traditional Balmoral meeting has gone in the wake of
the revelations.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were heading back
to the UK late on Wednesday with sources confirming that their
arrival is imminent. It’s expected Harry and Meghan, along with
their two children, will return before the end of August as Archie
and Lilibet are set to start school in the country in early
September.
It was reported that King Charles was only informed of their
decision on Sunday – despite Harry spending time with his father in
July. It’s understood that the Prince of Wales was also told about
the decision ahead of it becoming public.
Prince William was always set to be in Balmoral at the end of
the past week. The Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their
children, were seen arriving at the Aberdeenshire estate on
Thursday, just hours after the Sussexes return to the UK became
known.
Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and eight year old
Prince Louis have long enjoyed a break with their grandfather at
Balmoral as their school holidays come to a close. George is
looking ahead to a big change of his own as he is set to start at
Eton in September while Charlotte and Louis will return to Lambrook
school in Berkshire which they have attended since 2022.
However, the Wales holiday in Balmoral took on a different
aspect as it began amidst media interest in the return to the UK of
Prince Harry and Meghan. The two left the country in 2020, saying
they wanted to pursue their own business interests. They had
originally wanted to continue some form of royal role alongside
that but Queen Elizabeth II, with the support of her son, Charles,
and Prince William, ruled out any ‘half in half out’
arrangement.
As soon as Harry and Meghan’s plans were announced, it was
reiterated that the ‘half in halt out’ lifestyle was not available.
The couple are returning as private citizens and will live in a non
royal residence. They will not become working royals again.
Their return, though, has put a focus on family relations.
Prince Harry met his father for afternoon tea this summer with
Meghan and their children joining him and King Charles is reported
to be happy that he will have more opportunity to spend time
‘privately’ with his younger son. Prince William is understood not
to have spoken to Harry in a number of years and is angry and hurt
by the many interviews that his brother and sister in law have
given about their grievances against the Royal Family as well as
the claims made by the Duke of Sussex in his book, Spare.
As well as the wider family context, other questions about the
return remain unanswered. Prince Harry was claiming, just months
ago, that the UK wouldn’t be safe enough for his wife and children
to visit without full scale royal security. He has fought and lost
a lengthy legal battle for such protection measures. It’s not clear
what has changed for him to alter his opinion on the safety
issue.
The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, said security for Harry and
Meghan was a private matter. The PM is also due in Balmoral
imminently for the traditional weekend stay at the castle.
As William and Kate began their Balmoral break, there were
further stories about the return of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
with reports that Meghan was going to take an acting role in a
future series of The Gentlemen, the Netflix series created
by Guy Ritchie. Meanwhile, Prince Harry was seen attending a public
wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in
Washington.
King Charles is expected to stay at Balmoral until early
September, and is likely to be there on September 8, the
anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II and his own
accession, both of which took place there.
