The Prince of Wales enjoyed a “very emotional” first meeting with his granddaughter, Lilibet, a senior royal aide has revealed.
Both Prince Charles, 73, and the Duchess of Cornwall, 74, were said to have been “absolutely excited” to see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children earlier this month when they traveled from California for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrate.
It comes after the Duke of Sussex described feeling abandoned by his fathershowing that he had stopped taking his calls at some point.
The Sussexes left the monarchy in crisis after using an interview with Oprah Winfrey to accuse an unnamed royal of being racist towards their son, Archie, before he was born. They also accused the wider institution of not helping Meghan when she was having suicidal thoughts.
But a leading royal source said it had been “great” to have the Sussexes back in the UK.
“It was fantastic to see them. It was great to have them back in Britain,” said the source.
“The Prince obviously hasn’t seen his grandson Archie in a while and so it was very, very, very special to spend some time with him.
“He hadn’t met Lili, his granddaughter, so it was very emotional to meet her, something very, very beautiful.”
“What grandparent wouldn’t think that was a good day?”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex appeared at the Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, but sat way across the aisle from the Prince of Wales and the Cambridges† They also did not participate in any other public anniversary celebrations.
Their children did not appear in public, but a photo of Lilibet’s first birthday party, which took place in Windsor that weekend, was later released.
The latest bills published by Clarence House reveal that the Prince’s bill for the activities of his two sons and their families has fallen by £1.2 million in two years, with the Sussexes no longer listed in the bills.
The amount fell from £5.61 million in 2019-20, when the Duke and Duchess were still working in the royal family, to £4.38 million in 2021-22.
A royal source declined to elaborate on the figures, claiming they were “private expenses” as the funds came from the estate of the prince’s duchy.
However, the assistant said of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex: “They have great honour. They said they wanted to move to financial independence and now they have.”