King Charles Held a Palace "Dine and Sleep" With Prince William, Prince Edward and Princess Anne Ahead of Harry's Visit
Senior royals held a dinner at the Palace of Holyroodhouse before this year's Order of the Thistle ceremony.
Like Queen Elizabeth before them, King Charles and Queen Camilla head to Edinburgh to take part in Royal Week each summer, and on Wednesday, July 1, they were joined by Prince William and Prince Edward for the Order of the Thistle service at St. Giles' Cathedral. But before the historic ceremony, King Charles hosted senior royals for a family dinner at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, as reported by the Daily Mail.
It was confirmed to the outlet that The King held a “dine and sleep” at the Palace of Holyroodhouse on Tuesday night with the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal. The three royals spent the night at the palace ahead of the Order of the Thistle ceremony, which celebrates the greatest order of chivalry in Scotland.
The family gathering happened the night before what would have been Princess Diana’s 65th birthday, and just days before Prince Harry is due to visit the U.K. As the Daily Mail noted, “with the drama surrounding Prince Harry's potential arrival in the UK this weekend—with or without his family—dominating royal news, and the ongoing issue of disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, there would have been plenty for all to discuss.”
The Prince of Wales, known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland, is pictured with the Duke of Edinburgh at the Order of the Thistle service.
King Charles and Queen Camilla take part in the 2026 Order of the Thistle service.
The Duke of Sussex is scheduled to travel to Britain with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, for events related to the Invictus Games, but security concerns have potentially stalled a meeting with the children and their grandfather The King.
Although Prince Harry was offered a place to stay at a royal residence, fears about paparazzi following the children have reportedly caused the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to reassess bringing Lilibet and Archie. A spokesperson for Prince Harry stated that the royal "continues to explore every available option to enable the visit to proceed safely and to give his children the opportunity to enjoy the U.K."
Meanwhile, the former Duke of York made his first public appearance since his February arrest over the weekend, quietly slipping in to watch Duchess Sophie compete in the Sandringham Horse Driving Trials.
