Summer in the Scottish Highlands is usually the retreat where the British royal family seeks privacy and rest. It’s a time for walks in the countryside, barbecues, and memories of Queen Elizabeth II. However, this year’s customary summer stay at Balmoral Castle has been rocked by a media bombshell: the unexpected return of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to the United Kingdom.
This Sunday, King Charles III and Queen Camilla made their first public appearance since the news broke. Accompanied by Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as their three children—George, Charlotte, and Louis—the family attended a religious service together at Crathie Kirk. Also in attendance were Princess Anne with her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and their daughter, Lady Louise. Together, the family presented a united front at the church once frequented by Queen Elizabeth II.
This family gathering comes just days after it was revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have decided to formally relocate their residence back to Harry’s homeland.
Although the news coincided with the British royal family’s arrival in Scotland (King Charles III was informed last Sunday and began his official stay at Balmoral Castle the following day), the palace was quick to deny that this vacation at Balmoral was an emergency meeting to address the situation. Buckingham Palace has insisted that the royal family’s vacation had been scheduled for months and that there has been no closed-door “summit” of any kind, unlike the one held in 2020 at Sandringham, the site of the royal family’s negotiations regarding Harry and Meghan’s departure from the institution.
When Prince Harry and Meghan return to the UK, they’ll maintain their status as private individuals and nonworking members of the royal family. But a source tells Vanity Fair that Prince William is worried that could change.
The news, however, has disrupted the tranquility of a retreat considered sacred to the Windsors (it was there that Queen Elizabeth II died). Sources within the royal family have admitted to the British press that the Sussexes have been a topic of conversation in recent days, though they insist the matter has been treated more as a domestic issue than as an institutional strategy.