The Windsors are closing ranks. Just days after word broke that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are returning to the UK, the royal family made its first public appearance since the news landed — and it was very nearly a full house.
On Sunday morning, August 23, King Charles III and Queen Camilla attended church at Balmoral, joined by Prince William and Kate Middleton with their three children, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their daughter Lady Louise, and Princess Anne with her husband. It was the family’s first collective outing since Wednesday, August 19, when reports first surfaced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be relocating back to England.
The occasion was Sunday service at Crathie Kirk, the small parish church near Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire where the Windsors spend their summers. William and Kate had arrived at the estate with their three children just two days earlier, though no images of the family had emerged publicly until this outing.
Charles and Camilla were the first to arrive, greeted by a guard of honor formed by troops from Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland. William followed behind the wheel of his own car, with Kate and their children, George, Charlotte and Louis, inside. A separate vehicle carried Princess Anne and her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, along with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their eldest daughter, Lady Louise.
© Getty ImagesThe show of togetherness lands squarely in the middle of intense media attention on Harry and Meghan’s decision to return — a move that has reopened questions about a family relationship long defined by distance.
The Sussexes’ return
Harry and Meghan’s move back to the UK is imminent. The couple will return with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, six years after relocating to the United States, and they’re expected to remain in the country for an extended stretch. They will, however, stay outside the working royal fold, continuing the arrangement in place since 2020: private individuals and non-working members of the royal family. They won’t be moving into a palace; their security remains, for now, their own responsibility to arrange, and Meghan will continue running her lifestyle brand, As Ever.
© Getty ImagesWhere exactly they’ll settle is still unknown, though signs point to a private residence outside London. Before their move to the US, the couple lived at Frogmore Cottage, a home Queen Elizabeth II gave them as a wedding gift — one they later lost access to following the publication of Harry’s explosive memoir.They’ll also keep their home in Montecito, California.
Archie and Lilibet are already enrolled in a British school: the older child will enter third grade, his younger sister first grade. For security reasons, the school’s name hasn’t been disclosed, though the children are expected to attend a co-educational day school rather than a boarding school.
How Charles reacted
The King learned of his son’s decision before it became public. According to our sister website HELLO!, Charles was informed of Harry and Meghan’s plans on Sunday, August 16. His reaction was one of welcome — the move means more time with his son and grandchildren. William and Kate were also briefed ahead of the story breaking in the press.
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