Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to the UK with their children in August, reportedly planning a longer stay than their brief visit in July. However, according to a source, King Charles remains frustrated as he has yet to see his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, despite the Sussexes being back in the country.
King Charles expected more time with Archie and Lilibet after UK move, sources say
According to sources cited by Woman’s Day, King Charles had hoped to spend time with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children following their return to the UK. However, the monarch is reportedly disappointed that a reunion with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet has yet to take place.
“Charles absolutely loves being a grandfather,” a royal insider said. The King “may not have always been the best father but he’s really taken to his role as a grandad.” As a result, “he’s pretty gutted he hasn’t even seen Archie and Lili more since they landed in the UK.”
The insider continued, “Here he was expecting that they’d be getting straight into making up for lost time, and it’s been quite the opposite.” They added, “Harry keeps promising him that the visit will happen very soon.” However, “so far there’s been no date set and Charles is feeling very let down.”
Meanwhile, Markle’s work commitments have reportedly made it more difficult to coordinate a visit between the children and their grandfather.
“It’s not as easy as just popping over for a visit with the kids,” an insider told Woman’s Day. The Duchess of Sussex “will have to join them, so it needs to align with her schedule.” As a result, “it has to work with the kids’ school schedules, with Harry’s schedule and of course with Charles and Camilla’s, too.”
Another reported obstacle to the family reunion was the fallout surrounding Earl Charles Spencer’s memoir, “Swan Song: Diana My Sister.”
“All the stress of the Spencer book drama hasn’t helped, any free time has been filled up with crisis meetings, it’s been a dreadful time,” a source explained. Nevertheless, “the King is determined to fix this” and “he wants to see Archie and Lili as soon as possible.”
