This time, husband and wife retired behind the blackened windows of an airline for the short drive from their former home, Frogmore Cottage, to the castle.
And instead of thousands of well-wishers following the route, there was a rather mediocre attendance of spectators gathered for the spectacle of the service of Holy Thursday in the chapel of St. George.
In front of Harry and Megan were two grim encounters that would almost certainly determine their long-term position in the royal family – as future participants or as mere observers.
Harry’s offer to cancel his big flight from Los Angeles to The Hague, the Netherlands, where he is watching his Invictus Games, with a stop in Windsor to see his grandmother a year after their last meeting at Prince Philip’s funeral. was warmly received by the queen. Timing was important.
For the queen, the promise of Easter for spiritual renewal and forgiveness – such an important time of year for her – represented an opportunity.
But there were ties: before meeting the queen, Harry would have to see his father first.
Just as in the Megxit crisis when she insisted that the Sussexes’ departure from Britain was overseen by Prince Charles, the Queen once again showed that she had her own red lines.
And since the Prince of Wales was also in Windsor – along with the Duchess of Cornwall – where his mother had appointed Maundy to distribute the money to members of the community, there were no logistical obstacles.
Today all sides agreed that if there was going to be a reconciliation between Harry and his family, then these meetings were a crucial first step. Understandably, Harry and Megan met Charles around 10 a.m. for 15 minutes.
Then, Charles and Camilla left the castle together for Agios Georgios. In many ways this was the most important of the two meetings. Harry and his father have hardly spoken in recent months.
He sharply criticized Charles in last year’s toxic interview with Oprah Winfrey for failing to adequately support him and also unjustly accused him of cutting him off financially.
And Charles is said to be deeply concerned about Harry’s memoirs, which will be published later this year, which he fears will be used to clear more accounts.
Against such a background he was reasonably anxious about yesterday’s meeting with Harry.
As one of his longtime friends told me: “He loves his son and is heartbroken by everything that has happened, although he is afraid that the story with Harry will be repeated, just as it was with Princess Diana. “But he also wants to keep the door open and keep talking, something he still regrets not doing with Diana.”
After saying goodbye to Charles, Harry and Megan went to the Queen’s private apartment, where they told me that the atmosphere was much less nervous.
Although she has been moved and at times upset by many of Harry’s words and actions over the past two years, her grandson is something of a favorite.
“He always had the ability to make her laugh and she likes that,” says one partner.
“To this day, whenever she hears Harry talking on the phone, her eyes light up.” Therefore, it may not be a coincidence that for once Harry and Megan’s social media cheerleaders were unusually quiet about the content of both meetings.
“Not leaking details is seen as a way to restore some trust in the relationship,” they told me.
This was not a last-minute visit and should have taken into account the Queen’s recent ill health crisis, which included a Covid infection in February.
It was also the first time Megan had seen one of her in-laws since March 2020. Surprisingly, it involved a fifth member of the royal family who was not present at any of the meetings – Princess Eugenia.
The princess, who lives temporarily in her cousin Frogmore Cottage with her husband Jack Brooksbank and their son August, is believed to have played an “encouraging” role behind the scenes.
He is Harry’s closest royal ally – she and Jack visited Sussex, California earlier this year – and is also close to the Queen.
But it was the absence of another royal figure that became more pronounced – Prince William, who is on a family ski holiday.
The Duke of Cambridge was his brother’s biggest critic, frustrated by allegations of intimidation of royal staff and allegations of racism, and as a result a rift opened up between them.
She has not seen Harry since the two unveiled a statue of their mother outside Kensington Palace last July, and the relationship has been sporadic ever since.
“He does not like talking about Harry,” says a friend of the duke. “He says it causes him a headache.”
The rift between them is an open wound that has not yet begun to heal. William is particularly worried about Harry’s book deal amid fears that both he and his wife Kate will be in the crosshairs.
“He understands the need for reconciliation and all that, but at the same time he is worried about his father being” ambushed “by Harry.”
It is understood that Harry and Megan arrived in Britain on Wednesday following an overnight British Airways flight from Los Angeles. It is believed that they did not bring their children, Archie, two and ten months old, Lilibet, whom the Queen has not yet met.
They were taken to Frogmore where they spent Wednesday night before yesterday’s meetings.
After failing to attend his grandfather’s memorial service last month – amid an ongoing legal dispute with the Home Office over the removal of his police protection – Harry’s offer to visit the Queen was seen as an olive branch.
Although it remains to be seen if it was a genuine desire for rapprochement.
“This was a deeply disturbing moment for the royal family and the Queen would love to leave the recent bitterness behind.
“Would she like to see Harry on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee? Of course, but he knows that there must be confirmation from all sides for this to happen. “
From the days of Diana collaborating first with author Andrew Morton and then with Panorama, members of the royal family have been so unstable. But there is a pragmatism within the Palace where assistants acknowledge that Harry had to swallow some pride during this week’s visit.
The courtiers will hope that, having already resolved an extremely damaging family issue concerning Prince Andrew, they will be able to similarly settle their differences with Harry and Megan.
Only time will tell if they are successful and their self-confidence is not very high.
Was this the incognito visit of Harry and Megan to see the Queen? Video shows a dark truck leaving Windsor Castle the same day the Sussexes sneak into the UK while filming their new Netflix documentary
Shots from a closed van and a 4×4 leaving Windsor Castle the same day Harry and Megan sneaked in for an incognito visit – sparked speculation that they were aboard the ship.
The convoy traveled on Windsor High Street yesterday, preceded by two police motorcyclists, accompanied by the security of the couple.
The video may raise questions about their security arrangements, as Harry had previously suggested he would not return to the UK if he was not given full police protection.
The Sussex have been accused of “exploiting the Queen for Netflix” and made the trip for “clean talks” with the Queen and Prince Charles to thank the American producers of their upcoming documentary.
Speaking to MailOnline, Megan’s biographer Tom Bauer described the Sussex as “the worst shopkeepers in the royal family” and accused the couple of “exploiting an elderly, unwell woman to boost their credibility and funds”.
Netflix is expected to send a camera crew to follow Harry and Megan as they meet the Ukrainian team at the Invictus Games for wounded military veterans in the Netherlands for their Paralympic documentary.
But critics have accused the royal couple of “cashing in” the Games by allowing Netflix, with which they have signed a $ 100 million deal, to private meetings. And royal experts believe the VVIP status given to the couple will allow Netflix to portray the couple in a favorable light, as they face the consequences of their interview with Oprah last year.
Speaking about Harry and Megan’s summit with the Queen and Charles, Bauer said last night: “I have no doubt that everything was done for their Netflix documentary. The Queen’s advisers failed to protect her from being exploited by the royal family’s worst traders, while the Sussex exploited an elderly, unwell woman to boost their credibility and funds.
MailOnline contacted representatives of Harry and Megan for comments. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the video.
Other experts have suggested that the surprise face-to-face meeting with the Queen, who will turn 96 next Thursday and face a number of health problems recently, was an “olive branch” following significant tensions between the Sussexes and the royal family.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said the visit would make the queen very happy despite the couple’s strong criticism of the royals. In an interview with Oprah, they accused an anonymous senior royal of racism.
Meanwhile, Megan and Harry’s spokesman Omid Scobby used the visit to pierce the palace officials, writing on Twitter: “Three years ago it would have been impossible to keep secret plans to visit the Queen. Yesterday was another reminder of where the constant and unwanted leaks came from. HMTQ will always choose …
