Prince William, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and Prince Edward allegedly attended the family dinner
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NEED TO KNOW
- King Charles called a family dinner in Scotland ahead of Prince Harry’s anticipated U.K. visit
- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s family’s visit plans remain uncertain due to unresolved security concerns and a lack of independent risk assessment
- Prince Harry reportedly hopes his children can reunite with their grandfather during the trip despite ongoing challenges
King Charles reportedly called a family meeting ahead of Prince Harry's upcoming trip to the U.K.
The King held a "rare family dinner" at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland on Tuesday, June 30, the Daily Mail reported on July 1. The gathering was attended by Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
Many of the senior working royal family members are in Scotland for the annual Royal Week festivities.
The outlet said they had a rare "dine and sleep," or dinner and overnight palace stay ahead of the Order of the Thistle service on Wednesday, which everyone reported to be at the dinner attended except Princess Anne.
Credit: Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty
The reported gathering took place ahead of Prince Harry's upcoming U.K. trip, which is due to start soon.
Following an early report in late June, PEOPLE confirmed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were planning to bring their family to the U.K. for the first time in four years in July.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were expected to make the trip with their kids, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, who last visited Harry's homeland for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
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PEOPLE understood that Prince Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, planned to undertake a series of engagements connected to the one-year countdown for his 2027 Invictus Games Birmingham and other charitable causes. While the children would travel with them, PEOPLE understood that they would not attend any public events.
The family planned to stay in both royal residence and private accommodation, and King Charles had offered them royal lodging. While a palace source maintained that the invitation remained open but had not yet been accepted, a spokesperson for Prince Harry emphasized on Monday, June 29, that unresolved security concerns could cause a problem with the plans.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex lost their state-funded security in the U.K. when they stepped back from their royal roles in 2020, a provision that Prince Harry has long sought to have restored.
Sources familiar with the matter said that he and Meghan were initially told an independent Risk Management Board (RMB) review, which evaluates levels of appropriate protection for high-profile visitors, would take place in March, but learned last week that it never happened.
Credit: Meghan Markle/Instagram
With the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's family's security situation uncertain, a spokesperson for Prince Harry said on June 29 that he "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."
In a statement to PEOPLE on Monday, the representative said: "Prince Harry's programme in the United Kingdom includes both public and private engagements across the country. Safe accommodation is only one element of an effective protective security plan because risk follows the person, not the place."
"The issue has never been accommodation. The issue is whether appropriate and proportionate protective security is being provided throughout the entirety of the visit," the spokesperson continued. "The independent Risk Management Board that RAVEC itself decided was necessary last November has still not taken place. It is therefore difficult to understand how the proportionality of the current arrangements can credibly be maintained without that independent assessment."
"The Duke 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.," the spokesperson said.
Credit: Meghan Markle/Instagram
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After losing a critical court appeal to restore the security in May 2025, Prince Harry told the BBC that he "can't see a world" in which he would bring his wife and kids to his home country without it.
PEOPLE understands that the Sussexes are currently vacationing in Europe ahead of the anticipated visit, potentially acclimating the children to the time difference from California, where they live.
Over the weekend, The Telegraph reported over the weekend that Harry was considering flying Meghan, Archie and Lilibet to the U.K. for one day to see King Charles as a way to reunite without the security.
A source told the outlet that the Duke of Sussex "just wants his kids to see their grandfather," who continues to undergo treatment for cancer.
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