King Charles and Queen Camilla spent a quiet weekend at Balmoral, attending a traditional Sunday service at Crathie Kirk after the monarch met with his son, the Duke of Sussex, at Clarence House earlier in the week.
The royal couple, who traveled together to the Scottish estate on Sunday, appeared relaxed as they arrived for the short service, which was held in bright weather. The King, 76, wore a navy suit; the Queen, 78, wore a green tartan ensemble and pillbox hat. The meeting between Charles and Prince Harry at Clarence House was reported to have been a private tea lasting about 54 minutes aimed at "rebuilding their father-and-son relationship," the Daily Mail reported.
Royal sources and spokespeople gave differing details about the tone and potential implications of the reunion. A royal source told the Daily Mail the meeting could be the first step toward a wider family reconciliation, suggesting it might open the door for Prince Harry's children, Archie and Lilibet, to visit their grandfather in the coming year. Harry's spokesman said the duke had "loved being back in the UK," according to media reports.
The encounter follows a shorter audience in February 2024, when the King, after his cancer diagnosis, met with his son for just over 15 minutes. The monarch last saw Archie and Lilibet in June 2022 during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee; Lilibet has been seen by the King only once, and his meetings with Archie have been limited.
Tensions between the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex have persisted publicly, and sources cautioned that a single meeting did not necessarily resolve deeper family rifts. Reporters noted the possibility of logistical and security hurdles if the Sussex family were to visit the UK: security arrangements for Harry and Meghan were reduced after they stepped back from senior royal duties, a change that prompted a legal challenge by the couple against the Home Office. Media reporting this week said the Sussexes would likely be accompanied by armed bodyguards if they returned to visit the King, and insiders discussed potential options such as hosting visits within royal residences that fall inside existing security perimeters.
The Balmoral respite comes ahead of a packed week in London for the monarch. Charles and Camilla are due back in the capital for the funeral of the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral on Tuesday, which senior royals will attend. Also scheduled this week is the arrival of former U.S. President Donald Trump. According to press guidance, President Trump and the First Lady are expected to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales on Wednesday morning on the Windsor estate grounds and will later meet the King and Queen for an open-air greeting. The visit will include a fly-past by the Red Arrows and joint UK and U.S. F-35 jets and a Beating Retreat military ceremony.
Buckingham Palace and Clarence House have offered limited public comment on the private meeting between the King and the Duke of Sussex. Media reporting attributed the 54-minute Clarence House discussion to efforts by both men to "reset" their relationship; one royal source told the Daily Mail that Harry had expressed regret for some past actions and that both men wanted to restore family ties, at least functionally.
The prospects for further contact between senior royals and the Sussex family remain subject to practical and personal considerations, including whether Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, would travel to the UK. Meghan has not returned since the Queen's death in September 2022, according to reporting. Any future visits by the Sussexes would require advance security arrangements and clearances, officials and insiders have indicated.
For now, the King and Queen's short stay at Balmoral provided them with a moment of calm and a traditional Sunday observance amid ongoing family developments and a busy public schedule in the days ahead.