Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted reuniting with Prince William and Kate Middleton on Saturday (September 10) outside of Windsor Castle. The foursome greeted onlookers as they viewed tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II. In a statement from Buckingham Palace, a royal spokesperson said William, who is now called the Prince of Wales, “invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to join him and the Princess of Wales” for the walkabout.
The invitation was poignant as relations between the families have been strained as of late. After Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties and moved to the United States, interactions between the couple and the royal family have been all but non-existent. The Sussexes were already visiting the U.K. for charity events when the Queen passed away, but, as previously reported, there were no plans to visit with William and Kate.
The reunion came just hours after William witnessed the Accession Ceremony, where his father, King Charles III, was officially proclaimed the sovereign. Two days after the death of his mother, the former prince was elevated to the throne in an elaborate, centuries-old ceremony, which took place at St. James Palace and was broadcast live for the first time.
British politicians, including the new Prime Minister Liz Truss, first met without Charles at the state apartments at St. James’s Palace for the Accession Council. The group confirmed Charles’ new title as King Charles III and then invited him into the ceremony, where he took his vows and began his duties as the monarch; one of which was to declare the day of his mother’s funeral a public holiday. The service is expected to occur on Sept. 19.
At the ceremony, which last took place in 1952 when Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne, King Charles III said, “I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty which have now passed to me.” He then referenced the loss of the Queen, who had recently celebrated her Platinum Jubilee. “I know how deeply you and the entire nation, and I think I may say the whole world, sympathize with me in this irreparable loss we have all suffered.”
Meanwhile, outside Buckingham Palace, crowds were still gathering to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Scotland’s Balmoral Castle. Her body will be brought from Balmoral to London, where she will lie in state at Westminster Abbey.