Prince Harry was seen leaving Althorp, Princess Diana's ancestral home in Northamptonshire, before being driven forty miles to a charity festival for children who lost parents in military service. The visit came days after the Duke of Sussex, his wife Meghan, and their two children reunited with King Charles at Highgrove in what was described as the monarch's first meeting with his grandchildren in four years.
The sequence of events, reported by The Sun, places Harry at his late mother's family estate, where Diana's grave sits on a small island, shortly before he appeared at Scotty's Little Soldiers' summer festival at Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire. Harry, 41, serves as an ambassador for the charity, which supports bereaved military children across the United Kingdom.
Whether Harry has already taken Meghan, 44, and their children Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, to visit Diana's grave, or whether the trip remains planned, is unclear. The Sun reported that Harry had expressed his intention to bring his family to the gravesite, but no confirmation of the visit itself appeared in the reporting.
The Althorp and charity appearances followed a Friday gathering at Highgrove, the Gloucestershire estate of King Charles, 77. The Sussex family was hosted by the King and Queen in what was described as the first time Charles had seen Archie and Lilibet in four years, and only the second time he had ever met his granddaughter.
Sources insisted no details of the private Highgrove gathering would be leaked. The meeting came after weeks of uncertainty about whether the reunion would happen at all, a saga that played out against the backdrop of court losses and security disputes that clouded Harry's UK visit.
Meghan and the children reportedly flew into the UK from Europe last week. Where in Europe they traveled from was not specified. Meghan has not been seen in public during this trip, and it remains unknown whether she accompanied Harry to Althorp or to the charity event.
The Highgrove meeting itself had been the subject of intense speculation, with reports suggesting King Charles was frustrated with the ongoing Sussex turmoil even as the prospect of seeing his grandchildren remained in doubt.
At Maxstoke Castle, Harry spent time with children who had lost parents serving in the British military. Two of them, Poppy, 9, and Brandon, 10, asked him questions that drew personal answers.
Poppy, whose father, Able Seaman Daniel Turnbull, died of leukaemia in 2020, asked Harry what made him laugh on a difficult day. Harry patted his heart and said:
"That got me right there. You know what, sometimes it's just a difficult day. It's not always possible to laugh. But my dog, my children, they make me laugh. And if I need to laugh, I'll probably put something really funny on the television."
Brandon, whose father, Guardsman Sam Newby, died in 2022, asked Harry what superhero powers he would want. Harry reportedly mentioned teleporting or flying before settling on a different answer:
"I would go around to everyone having a bad day and touch them on the shoulder"
, so they would feel better, he said.
Harry also told the children how he handled stress. "Get up and do something, exercise, walk the dog, swim in the sea. And talking. Guys, if you're feeling it, share it," he said.
Althorp has been home to the Spencer family for centuries and is now the residence of Earl Spencer, Diana's brother. Princess Diana's grave sits on an island within the estate grounds, a site that carries deep personal significance for Harry, who lost his mother in August 1997 at the age of twelve.
Harry has said he maintains a tradition of eating lemon drizzle cake either on the anniversary of Diana's death in August or on her birthday, July 1. His reported plan to bring Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet to visit the grave would mark a rare moment of family connection to Diana's resting place for children who have grown up in California, far from the Spencer estate.
The broader context of this UK trip has been anything but smooth. Harry recently lost his £50 million phone hacking case against the Daily Mail in a ruling that dismissed his claims in full. That legal defeat added to a pattern of courtroom setbacks that have defined much of Harry's public life in recent years.
The High Court case drew particular attention for its scope and the details that emerged during proceedings. Harry lost on every count, a result that did little to strengthen his standing with the British public or press.
Several questions hang over the visit. When the Sussex family plans to return to California has not been disclosed. Whether Meghan was present at Althorp or at the Scotty's Little Soldiers event is unconfirmed. And the central question, whether Harry has already brought his children to see their grandmother's grave, or whether that visit is still ahead, remains unanswered.
The secret family reunion at Highgrove suggests at least some willingness on both sides to maintain a relationship, however strained. But the tight information controls around the visit, with sources insisting nothing would leak, speak to the deep distrust that now defines the relationship between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family.
Harry's work with Scotty's Little Soldiers is straightforward and hard to fault. A man who lost his own mother sitting with children who lost their fathers in uniform, that needs no spin. The harder question is whether the rest of his UK visits will ever feel that uncomplicated again.
