Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's surprise reunion with King Charles III over the weekend was less of a breakthrough for the estranged couple than public reaction has suggested, according to a royal author who says an insider close to the situation cautioned against reading too much into the meeting.

Buckingham Palace confirmed Friday, July 10, that King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted Harry, Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, at Highgrove House, the monarch's private country residence in Gloucestershire. The gathering marked the first time Charles had seen his younger son's children in more than four years, since the family of four last appeared together in the UK for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022.

The visit came together only in its final days. As recently as July 4, reports indicated Meghan and the children would not be joining Harry in the UK after the British government denied his request for publicly funded police protection outside royal residences, a decision Harry had been fighting in court and has repeatedly lost. Harry ultimately traveled to London alone the week prior for a series of charity engagements, including a session of wheelchair rugby at an Invictus Games "one year to go" event in Birmingham on July 10, before the family's plans shifted and Meghan and the children flew in from an unspecified European destination to join him for the private gathering with Charles and Camilla.

The reunion was described by palace sources as strictly private, with no official photographs or public statements released.........

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