The King reportedly hosted Prince William, Princess Anne and Prince Edward in a rare family dinner in Scotland last night before a historic ceremony in Edinburgh today
The King, Queen, Prince William and Prince Edward at the Thistle Service in Edinburgh today (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The King is said to have held a rare family dinner for senior royals last night – just days before Prince Harry’s imminent return to the UK.
Charles is currently in Scotland alongside Queen Camilla for their annual week carrying out engagements north of the border – with Prince William at an event in Aberdeen yesterday, while Princess Anne and Prince Edward made appearances in Edinburgh.
And it has been reported that with many senior members of the family all in Edinburgh last night, the King hosted them all at the Palace of Holyroodhouse for a rare ‘dine and sleep’ before he was joined today by Camilla, William and Edward at the Order of the Thistle Service at St Giles Cathedral.
According to the Daily Mail, the rare get-together took place, although, as it was private, there would be no official record of it or what was discussed. However, with Harry’s imminent return to the UK for events next week with his wife Meghan and children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet dominating headlines, it’s possible the situation could have come up in conversation.
It comes as the Mirror revealed earlier this week that the King is still waiting for Prince Harry to accept his offer of staying at a royal residence with his family next week, as the Duke of Sussex hit out at the government for not providing him with taxpayer-funded security.
Royal sources expressed their deep frustration that Harry has yet to confirm his plans and has not replied to Buckingham Palace regarding the offer to help alleviate his security concerns. The Duke has promised to explore “every available option” so he can bring wife Meghan and their children, Archie and Lilibet with him to the UK.
But sources close to Harry said he had been left “in an impossible situation” after the Home Office refused his last ditch appeal to fund a security detail for the trip.
The prince has planned a five-day stay for next week, where he has planned a number of public engagements. Friends of the Duke have said he “is not in a good place” and he believes “dark forces” are to blame for blocking him from travelling with his family to arrange a meeting with his father.
Last Friday it was announced that Meghan, 44, would join him on stage on July 10 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham for a ceremony to celebrate the one-year countdown to the city hosting Harry’s Invictus Games competition.
But just 24 hours later the Sussexes’ team said the family trip was jeopardised because the Home Office refused to bow to Harry’s demands. Harry, 41, has been engaged in a protracted legal battle with the and Duchess quit their royal duties in March 2020 to set up home in California.
The duke was waiting for a review by the Risk Management Board (RMB), part of the process by which the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) rules on his security requirements, but found out on Friday that this has yet to take place.
A royal source said: “Buckingham Palace is still waiting for the Duke’s decision. It is incredibly frustrating, given arrangements need to be made to facilitate any guest of the King’s accepting an invitation to visit a royal residence.”
Harry wants to bring his family to meet his father for the first time since they were all in the UK in the summer of 2022, to attend the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. There is hope the King will be able to reunite with his youngest grandchildren for the first time in four years.
Meanwhile, today, Charles, Camilla, William and Edward all donned traditional robes and plumed hats for the Order of the Thistle service at St Giles Cathedral, where they walked in a procession.
The Order is the highest order of chivalry in Scotland, and its 16 members are made up of Scottish men and women, who have contributed to national life.
Elsewhere, Anne left Scotland today to travel to France, where, alongside the Duke of Gloucester she attended commemorations to mark the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
