Meghan Markle Returns to UK, Reunites With King Charles at Highgrove for the First Time in Four Years

Meghan Markle made her first trip back to the United Kingdom in four years earlier this month, reuniting privately with King Charles III at his Gloucestershire estate alongside Prince Harry and their two children, marking one of the more significant developments in the family’s relationship with the royal household since the couple stepped back from royal duties in 2020.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, met with King Charles and Queen Camilla on Friday, July 10, at Highgrove House, the king’s private country residence in Gloucestershire, west of London. Buckingham Palace confirmed the meeting took place but described it strictly as a private family occasion, saying no photographs or additional details would be released from the visit.

The gathering marked the first time King Charles had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years. Harry and Meghan had not been in the United Kingdom together since 2022, when they returned for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. In the years since, Harry has made several brief solo trips back to Britain, including for his grandmother’s funeral and his father’s coronation in 2023, along with a private tea with the king at Clarence House last September. Friday’s Highgrove meeting, however, represented the first confirmed occasion the full Sussex family had spent time together with the monarch since the couple relocated to Montecito, California.

According to reporting from the U.K.’s PA news agency, the family flew in from an unspecified European destination ahead of the visit, with plans having shifted in the days leading up to the reunion. Meghan had initially been expected to join Harry publicly at an Invictus Games countdown event earlier in the week, but those plans changed, and the family instead prioritized the private gathering at Highgrove. The Sussex family was believed to be staying at Althorp House in West Northamptonshire during their visit, the childhood home of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, and the site of her grave, according to reporting from The Mirror.

Notably, Prince William and his family were absent from the Highgrove gathering. According to the BBC, William was taking part in a charity polo match in Windsor at the same time his brother’s family was meeting with the king. There have been no reports indicating any plans for Harry and William to meet during this particular visit, and the relationship between the two brothers has remained visibly strained in the years since Harry and Meghan’s departure from royal life.

The visit came against the backdrop of the upcoming Invictus Games, the international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick service members and veterans that Harry founded in 2014. The Duke of Sussex traveled to London the week prior for a series of charity engagements, including an appearance at Chatham House on July 7 for a conversation on Invictus Games policy, part of the broader “One Year to Go” celebrations ahead of the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027. Reports had circulated for weeks beforehand about whether Meghan and the children might accompany Harry on this trip, with The Telegraph first reporting on July 9 that the Duchess would be traveling to Britain alongside her husband and children.

Security arrangements have remained one of the central complicating factors in any Sussex return to the UK. Harry has previously said it would be “impossible” to bring Meghan and their children to Britain without adequate security protection, a matter that has been the subject of an extended legal and administrative review in recent years. Some royal and security officials were reported to feel a degree of unease ahead of the visit, given ongoing questions about how any public backlash might be managed alongside the practical logistics of protecting the family during their time in the country.

Buckingham Palace has given no indication whether the Highgrove meeting signals the start of broader reconciliation efforts between the Sussexes and other senior royals, characterizing the visit solely as a private family occasion. Questions remain about whether and when Harry might next meet with William, even as the meeting with King Charles was widely viewed by royal commentators as a meaningful step following years of limited contact.

Beyond the royal reunion, Meghan has continued to maintain a public presence through her business and entertainment ventures in the weeks surrounding the UK trip. She is set to appear as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia later this month, with Endemol Shine Australia and Channel 10 confirming she will feature in the show’s July 26 episode. As a guest judge, Meghan will reportedly ask contestants to prepare a dish tied to a personal story, continuing her recent pattern of blending television appearances with themes connected to food and lifestyle content, an area she has increasingly built out through her Netflix series “With Love, Meghan” and her As Ever lifestyle brand.

Meghan’s broader business ventures have also drawn attention in recent months. Her As Ever brand, which sells items including fruit spreads, herbal teas and home goods, reportedly generated significant sales momentum earlier this year, with a website glitch at one point allowing customers to calculate approximate sales figures for the brand’s signature fruit spread. Royal commentators have pointed to that commercial momentum, along with her growing entertainment profile, as context for how Meghan may be approaching any potential return to a more visible public role in the UK going forward.

For now, the Sussex family’s exact plans beyond the Highgrove visit and Meghan’s upcoming MasterChef Australia appearance remain unclear. With the Invictus Games Birmingham set to take place in 2027, royal watchers expect the family’s ties to the UK, and the broader question of their relationship with senior royals, to remain a closely watched storyline in the months ahead, particularly as preparations for the games continue to bring Harry back to Britain on a more regular basis.