Queen Camilla's olive branch to Prince Harry at Highgrove reunion after he branded her 'the villain' – report


King Charles's wife joined Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their two children for a reunion at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire last month


Harry and Camilla at Trooping the Colour 2012© Getty
Eleanor Dye
Eleanor DyeOnline Royal Correspondent
57 minutes ago

Queen Camilla extended an olive branch to Prince Harry during their recent reunion at Highgrove, according to reports. 

King Charles's wife, 79, joined her husband at the private reunion with the Sussexes at the royal estate in Gloucestershire last month. 

Though few details have been released and no photographs shared, it has been reported that Camilla reached out to Harry with a gesture of goodwill during the meeting.

Harry's relationship with his stepmother has been notoriously frosty, especially after he called her "the villain" in an explosive TV interview.

Queen Camilla in a green coat and Prince Harry in his black military uniform© Max Mumby/Indigo
Queen Camilla and Prince Harry at Trooping the Colour in 2015

But according to author and royal expert Tom Bower in the Daily Mail, Camilla simply approached Harry with a "fixed smile" and "offered him tea" during their recent meet-up.  

An insider added of the reunion – which included Meghan Markle, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet – that the atmosphere was "polite with no recrimination". 

Prince Harry's comments about Queen Camilla

Prince Harry and Prince William both attended their father's wedding to Queen Camilla at Windsor's Guildhall in 2005. During an interview for his 21st birthday that year, Harry called his new stepmother a "wonderful woman" and joked, "she's not the wicked stepmother". 

The two were seen at many engagements together over the following decade, but the Duke's 2023 memoir Spare shone a new light on their relationship. 

In his book, Harry claimed he and William pleaded with their father not to marry again, stating that William "long harboured suspicions about the 'Other Woman."

 Prince Harry, Kate Middleton, Camilla, and Sophie laugh in smart dress and hats© Getty
Prince Harry made comments about Camilla in his 2023 memoir

The father of two later dubbed Camilla "dangerous" in his 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper. "She was the villain, she was a third person in the marriage, she needed to rehabilitate her image," Harry said.

The Queen was allegedly left "hurt" by his comments, with Lady Lansdowne, one of Camilla's six royal companions, telling The Times afterwards: "Of course it bothers her, of course it hurts.

"But she doesn't let it get to her. Her philosophy is always, 'Don't make a thing of it and it will settle down — least said, soonest mended.'"

What do we know about Prince Harry and Meghan's planned return to the UK?

It was reported last week that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to move back to Britain in a shock development more than six years after they relocated to the US. 

The couple will return to the UK later this month – making their home in a non-royal residence outside of London – and have already enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in British schools.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the 2024 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre on July 11, 2024 in Hollywood, California© Getty Images for W+P
Prince Harry and Meghan are returning to Britain

It is understood there will be no change to Harry and Meghan’s role and status as private individuals and non-working members of the royal family.

The King, who is still living with cancer, is understood to welcome the opportunity to see more of the family both in a private and personal capacity.

Meghan, meanwhile, is understood to have been in discussions over a possible role in the third series of Guy Ritchie's Netflix series The Gentlemen

The King, Queen, along with the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children and other senior members of the royal family, were spotted driving to church in Balmoral on Sunday as they continue their summer stay in Scotland. 

More Royalty
See more
Conversation

For more information on our conversation section, please read our Community Guidelines. Comments featured and views shared are not endorsed by HELLO!.