Inside Prince Charles and Lilibet's first 'emotional' meeting

Charles met his grandchild over the Platinum Jubilee weekend

Prince Charles is reportedly ‘dreading’ being King – and for a very sentimental reason
(Image credit: Rex)

Charles met his grandchild over the Platinum Jubilee weekend

Prince Charles - who is next in line to the throne - was no doubt eager to meet his grandchild Lilibet, and be reunited with his grandson Archie, when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to the UK for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations last month.

Their reunion was short but "very emotional", as Harry and his family flew in just before the start of the June bank holiday weekend, and returned back to their home in America on 5 June.

Many royal relatives had yet to meet Harry and Meghan's youngest child at this point, as she was born on 4 July 2021, which was during the pandemic, in America, where Harry and Meghan decided to move to when they stepped down from their royal duties in 2020.

So it is no surprise Charles' meeting with his granddaughter was emotional.

Speaking about the special moment, a source told The Express: "It was fantastic to see them. It was wonderful to have them back in Britain.

"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."

The visit also marked the first time the Queen had met her great-granddaughter - who is named after both the monarch and Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana - although pictures of Lilibet with her relative were not taken when they met to capture the moment.

The Platinum Jubilee was one full-on weekend for the royal family, but also because it was Lilibet's first birthday too.

To mark the milestone Harry, 37, and 40-year-old actress invited their friends and family for a private garden party at their home at Frogmore Cottage, in Windsor, and later shared an adorable photograph of her to mark the occasion.

It's unknown if the family will return to visit their family in the UK any time soon, but there has been growing speculation the couple may have to trial a long distance relationship as Harry is tipped to split his time in the UK and America in the forthcoming months.

However, this has not yet been confirmed.

Maisie Bovingdon

Maisie is a writer and editor, covering Royal News, Showbiz, Lifestyle content, as well as Shopping Writing and E-Commerce, for print and digital publications, including Marie Claire, Hello!, Fabulous, Mail Online and Yahoo!.