Prince Charles ‘had very emotional first meeting with Lilibet’

Prince Charles had a “very emotional” first meeting with his granddaughter Lilibet, a senior royal source has said.

The Prince of Wales, 73, and the Duchess of Cornwall, 74, were said to have been “absolutely thrilled” to see Harry and Meghan and their children when they travelled briefly from California for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations earlier in June.

Harry, who stepped down as a working royal in 2020, has had a fraught relationship with Charles and previously alleged he had once stopped returning his calls.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, aired in March 2021, Harry and Meghan accused an unnamed royal of commenting on their unborn son’s skin colour and claimed Buckingham Palace had failed to safeguard Meghan’s mental health.

Despite the tension caused by the interview, a senior royal source said it had been “wonderful” to have the Sussexes back in the UK at the start of June.

“It was fantastic to see them. It was wonderful to have them back in Britain,” the source said.

“The prince and the duchess were absolutely thrilled to see them.

“The prince, of course, hasn’t seen his grandson Archie for a bit of time and so it was very, very, very special to have some time with him.

“He hadn’t met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional, a very, very wonderful thing.”

Lilibet had her first birthday during her stay and also met her namesake great-grandmother, the Queen, for the first time.

It comes weeks after Harry and Meghan appeared at the jubilee service of thanksgiving in St Paul’s Cathedral, though they sat far across the aisle from Charles and Prince William. They did not take part in any other public jubilee festivities.

According to the latest accounts from Clarence House, the Prince’s bill for the activities of his two sons has dropped by £1.3 million over two years, falling from £5.6 million in 2019-20 to £4.3 million in 2021-22 after Harry and Meghan stepped down as working royals.

The Sussexes are no longer listed in the accounts.

The royal source said of the Sussexes’ financial independence: “Great credit to them. They said they wanted to transition to financial independence and that has now been achieved.”