King Charles hosts Prince Harry, his family in first reunion in years

King Charles III met Prince Harry, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and their two children on July 10 in the first family reunion in several years, as both sides seek to repair a long-running rift within the British royal family.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that the meeting took place at Highgrove House, the king's country estate in western England, where the family was also joined by Queen Camilla, the Associated Press reports.

Harry had arrived in the United Kingdom on July 6 for a series of charity engagements. His visit prompted widespread speculation over whether he would meet with his father and whether Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet would accompany him.

The reunion came after reports of scheduling difficulties and tensions over accommodation arrangements during Harry's visit. It also coincided with the prince's unsuccessful legal challenge against the publisher of the Daily Mail, with a judge ruling that he had failed to prove claims of privacy invasion.

Harry has previously said he wants to restore relations with his family. King Charles, 77, is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.

The July 10 meeting follows a brief reunion between father and son in London last September. It also gave Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, another opportunity to spend time with their grandfather, whom they first met during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.

No photographs of the meeting will be released, as the gathering was considered private.

Relations between Harry and the royal family have remained strained since he and Meghan stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California. Tensions deepened following the publication of Harry's memoir, Spare, in which he made a series of allegations about members of the royal family and their relationship with the British media.

Despite the differences, Harry has repeatedly expressed his desire for reconciliation.

"I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore," Harry told the BBC. “I don’t know how much longer my father has.”

By Sabina Mammadli