King Charles got to finally see his grandchildren on his terms (Image: Toby Shepheard / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet at Highgrove yesterday. Just take a minute to let that sink in.
All week, we have seen drama after drama regarding Harry’s UK trip. From the ‘will he or won’t he’ stay at Buckingham Palace saga, to his humiliating court defeat, and even the fact Meghan made no public appearances as originally planned, it’s been one big uncertainty. Even up until it was announced that the King had seen the family, it was very unclear whether a reunion would take place at all.
Some may say the King shouldn’t have met Harry and Meghan, and his grandchildren, this week. Why should he see his youngest son after a week of drama?
But I think the monarch followed his heart, and at the same time made the reunion a success on his own terms, showing Harry that he can’t always get what he wants.
I mean, firstly, the meeting happened at Highgrove House. A private family home, not a royal Palace.
An instant win for the King. Why? Well, the fact it is Charles’ private home means he can issue a no phone rule. It is the King’s private space, and Harry and Meghan – if they did take photographs – won’t be able to splash this all over Instagram.
The family were hosted by Their Majesties on Friday (Image: Instagram / @meghan)
A win for the King, as his son and daughter-in-law can’t use the royal reunion to help bring more money into their pockets. Instead, the reunion will stay as it was always meant to be – private. Exactly as the King wants.
From an emotional perspective, Highgrove is also a great shout. It is believed to be the King’s happy place, where he can enjoy the simple pleasures of life away from cameras and formality.
Likewise, it is somewhere he spent a lot of time with Harry when the prince still lived at home. Fond memories echo around the walls at Highgrove, making it a more apt place for the monarch to spend time with Harry and his grandchildren
So, while all parties got what they wanted – the chance for the King to spend time with Archie and Lilibet – I think it was the monarch who really came out on top.
A reunion his way, without the fear of whether his youngest son will somehow publicly expose the moment. It was instead a true family meeting, rather than something that will soon be used in a Netflix show or Oprah Winfrey.
Harry has been there, done that. And the King has made sure it won’t happen again, at least we hope so anyway.