Prince Harry is feeling 'really energised' after visiting King Charles with Meghan and his children for first time in four years

By MARTIN ROBINSON, CHIEF REPORTER Published: 15:22, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 15:27, 13 July 2026 Prince Harry is said to be 'buoyed' and 'really energised' following his family reunion with King Charles. The Duke of Sussex is 'very happy' that his wife and children joined him to spend time with his father and stepmother, Queen Camilla, at Highgrove, friends said. Harry and his family are believed to have met the King and Queen between 3.30pm and 4pm on Friday, remaining with the couple for more than an hour. The King is said to have been determined to see his grandchildren for the first time in four years during a week in which Harry suffered a crushing defeat in his privacy court case against the Daily Mail. Friends of Harry claimed he was 'buoyed, very happy and really energised' after the meeting, which also marked the monarch's first time with Archie and Lilibet in four years. His wife, Meghan Markle, who was famously accompanied down the aisle by her father-in-law the King on their wedding day in 2018, was also present after secretly flying the family to Britain. But the Duchess of Sussex skipped all of Harry's Invictus Games engagements amid his ongoing dispute with the Government over taxpayer-funded police protection in the UK. King Charles has faced criticism in some quarters for meeting Harry and Meghan after suffering years of potshots at the Royal Family from California since Megxit, including claims of racism. But a royal source responded that 'blood is blood' when asked about the decision to meet. 'Every journey of a thousand miles begins with one footstep,' the source added. Harry was said to be absolutely thrilled to have reconnected with his father in a meeting that saw Meghan, Lilibet and Archie also see the King for the first time since 2022 Charles III and Queen Camilla (pictured at London Zoo last week) spent around an hour with the Sussexes Harry and his family are believed to have spent around an hour at Highgrove with King Charles and Queen Camilla.  The gathering was particularly significant because it marked the first time that Meghan, Archie and Lilibet had seen the 77-year-old monarch – who is still undergoing treatment for cancer – in person since 2022. Earlier in the day on Friday, there had been clues that something important was unfolding when Harry arrived at an engagement for the Invictus Games at the National Exhibition Centre, near Birmingham. An observer said: ‘Harry turned up at Invictus with a massive smile plastered all over his face.' The family reunion at Highgrove had clearly put Harry in high spirits following a week dominated by negative headlines, including a row over his security and a crushing defeat in his court case over privacy against the Daily Mail. On Saturday, after the visit to Highgrove, the Duke of Sussex was all smiles as he appeared at Scotty’s Summer Festival at Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire.  Harry is the global ambassador for the charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which supports bereaved children from military families. During the festival, Harry posed playfully with children as he took part in ‘goat yoga’, surrounded by the animals. At one point, he joked, ‘Is there health and safety? Do they bite?’, before taking his place on a mat and performing the tree pose on one leg while miming goats’ ears with his hands. As Harry lay on his back as the goats trampled over his body, someone in the crowd quipped that his security team should step in to ‘protect the crown jewels’. The Sussexes are believed to have been staying at the Althorp Estate in Northamptonshire – the ancestral home of Princess Diana’s family and where she is buried on a private island in the middle of a lake. It is not known if the Sussexes have left the UK.  Harry and Meghan, who quit as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California, have spoken about their wish to introduce their children to their British roots.  During his visit to Warwickshire, Harry said: ‘I love being here, this is the highlight of my month. Actually probably the last few months. It’s very easy to sit in your grief, to sit in your stress but, guys, if you are feeling it, share it.’ The meeting with the King and Queen came after weeks of speculation and uncertainty about whether Meghan and the children would accompany him to the UK. The family had reportedly been on holiday in Portugal, staying at a beachside villa they own there. During his visit to Warwickshire on Saturday, Harry said: 'I love being here, this is the highlight of my month' Harry initially turned down an offer to stay at Buckingham Palace only to change his mind at the last minute. He was then told that the offer had been rescinded because Palace officials said it was impossible to prepare rooms for him at short notice. The Duke arrived in Britain on Monday. The following day, he lost his High Court case which alleged wrongdoing by Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail. The company was vindicated on all 97 counts brought by Harry and others, including Sir Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, Sir Simon Hughes and Baroness Doreen Lawrence. Buckingham Palace confirmed on Friday that the meeting at Highgrove had taken place but declined to disclose any details of the ‘private family occasion’. Earlier in the week, palace officials had privately described the prolonged drama surrounding the Sussexes’ trip as ‘wearying’. Prince Harry has recorded an episode on The Celebrity Traitors star Joe Marler's podcast as part of his trip to the UK. The Duke of Sussex recited his rarely used full name in the new interview, before poking fun at Marler's co-host. In a teaser for the upcoming episode of  'Joe Marler Will See You Now', the royal is asked for his full name by the former rugby player. 'Henry Charles Albert David, Duke of Sussex,' Harry replied, to which podcast co-host Jake Bhardwaj quipped: 'It's a long one'.  Harry quickly responded: 'Alright, Jake,' causing huge laughter from the podcast hosts and crew members behind the camera. The teaser then showed the podcast hosts chanting 'Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke' as he arrived on the set before Marler says, 'what the f*** was that'. Marler and Bhardwaj will speak to the prince about trauma, coping mechanisms, identity and grief, as well as lighter topics. The Duke of Sussex (pictured) recited his rarely used full name in the new interview with Joe Marler The former England rugby player said: 'We try to pride ourselves on the ability to go from light to dark to serious to fun, because, for me, it's just one big conversation.'  Since launching last year, Joe Marler Will See You Now has amassed 9.5 million long form streams and 170 million social media views to date, and previous guests have included his fellow Celebrity Traitors contestant Nick Mohammed, comedian Katherine Ryan and former QI presenter Stephen Fry.  The full podcast episode is set to be released at 5pm on Monday, July 13.