Prince Harry took his wife Meghan Markle and their children to his mother Princess Diana‘s ancestral stately home in the UK, where they laid flowers at her grave.
After being unable to stay at Buckingham Palace, the Duchess of Sussex revealed to her 4.7 million Instagram followers that the family stayed as guests of Harry’s uncle, Earl Spencer, at Althorp.
The pictures also confirm that Meghan and Harry spent time in Portugal before Harry’s chaotic trip to Britain. There are images of them on pristine beaches, frolicking in a pool and a trip to a rustic local fish restaurant.
In one image taken by Meghan, Lilibet is seen walking through the Northamptonshire estate’s famous avenue of trees, close to the private island on a lake where Diana is buried.
Ahead of her are Harry and Archie, with all three carrying large bouquets of flowers to lay at Princess Diana’s grave and the nearby memorial.
But there are no photos of their reunion with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove.
People, widely considered the Sussexes’ preferred publication in the US, reports: ‘The trip gave Archie and Lilibet the opportunity to spend time at a place so closely tied to their late grandmother, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 when Harry was 12.’
Harry had wanted Meghan and his young family to join him for the entirety of the five-day trip, which was focused on Invictus and his former charities.
Instead, he flew to Britain alone and, hours before he arrived in London, fresh chaos erupted when an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace was withdrawn.
Meghan delayed her arrival and entered the country secretly with Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, amid ongoing security concerns.
A friend of the couple said Meghan would have felt ‘humiliated’ and experienced ‘sadness’ over the way the week unfolded.
Lilibet was seen walking through an avenue of trees and hedges at Althorp, Princess Diana’s childhood home – with Harry and Archie strolling together up ahead appearing to hold bouquets
An aerial view of Althorp House, home of the aristocratic Spencer family and the location of the burial site of Diana, Princess of Wales
Dian’s final resting place can only be reached by boat and is on the island at the centre of Althorp’s Oval Lake. It is not accessible to the public
There is also a shrine to Diana next to the water, which the public can see when the estate is open (pictured)
There was a shot of Archie walking barefoot and looking toward the sunset while holding a stick, also in Althorp
The family had been visiting Europe in recent weeks ahead of Prince Harry’s return to the UK this month to attend the Invictus Games in Birmingham where he had intended to bring Meghan and their two children with him for the entirety of the five-day trip.
Meghan Markle has shared a series of ‘summer holiday’ photos of Prince Harry and their children Archie and Lilibet while in Europe.
It was not confirmed where they had been vacationing but it was widely believed to have been in Portugal, where the Sussexes reportedly purchased a second property near Harry’s cousin, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank.
Indeed, in one of the posts shared to her Instagram, Meghan shared the image of a front of a Portuguese fish restaurant, O Melidense.
In one photo Meghan can be seen laughing with Harry at a dinner table, while in another she is seen walking near the beach with Lilibet.
There was also a shot of Archie walking barefoot in the sunset holding a stick and one of Harry playfully tossing Lilibet through the air while in a swimming pool.
Harry runs towards churning waves in another, with Lilibet and Archie dashing behind him in tow, while Meghan watches from the shore.
Archie also appeared in the cockpit of a plane donning a pilot’s hat, while the three aviators surrounded him as he took a turn pretending to fly.
In all the pictures of the children, their faces were turned away from the camera in a fashion that has become typical for Meghan – a move she has done to protect their privacy.
Meghan posted one of herself lying on her front on a sun lounger while her head is close to a dog’s.
Meghan Markle has shared a series of ‘summer holiday’ photos of Prince Harry and their children Archie and Lilibet while in Europe
Archie also appeared in the cockpit of a plane donning a pilot’s hat, while the three aviators surrounded him as he took a turn pretending to fly
Meghan posted an image of herself lying on her front on a sun lounger
Harry runs towards churning waves in one of the photos, with Lilibet and Archie dashing behind him, while Meghan watches from the shore
An image of Meghan walking towards the beach with Lilibet was one of the several ‘summer holiday’ snaps shared
In another ‘summer holiday’ picture, Prince Harry was seen playfully tossing Lilibet through the air while in the swimming pool
Meghan shared the image of a front of a Portuguese fish restaurant, O Melidense
Among the other snaps were shots of curated dinner tables, a landscape of hills around a lake, and picked lavender stalks.
Following their trip on the continent, Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet enjoyed a private cup of tea with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove.
The visit – which would have been the first time Charles had seen his daughter-in-law and grandchildren since 2022 – was confirmed by Buckingham Palace after the family had left.
Harry and his family are believed to have met the King and Queen for more than an hour.
Highgrove, the King’s private Gloucestershire estate, is where Harry spent much of his childhood, complete with the treehouse and swimming pool he knew as a boy.
The visit to Highgrove came after a chaotic back-and-forth about where Prince Harry would stay during his trip.
The King is said to have lost patience when Harry dithered over an offer to stay at Buckingham Palace at the start of his trip.
The Duke initially rejected the accommodation before changing his mind and attempting to accept after the deadline had passed.
Harry’s spokesman subsequently briefed the BBC that he would be staying at the Palace, only for the King’s aides to indicate that he had left it too late.
The visit came days after Prince Harry lost his High Court case against the Daily Mail.
