Meghan Markle would have felt 'humiliated' and filled with 'a lot of sadness' during her first visit to the UK in four years - a trip where she was never seen in public, friends of the Duchess have told People magazine. The Duchess of Sussex is letting her husband take the lead in the ongoing conflict with his family, including the row over staying at Buckingham Palace, allies claim. But despite Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet's reunion with King Charles, she was left with 'a lot of sadness' after plans to support her husband at several public engagements in Britain fell apart. 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alone, and hours before he arrived in London, fresh chaos erupted when an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace was withdrawn.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 told People magazine, widely considered the Sussexes' preferred publication in the US, that Meghan would have felt 'humiliated' by the way the week unfolded. The drama surrounding the visit was 'quite stressful', a source close to the Duke and Duchess said. Another insider said Meghan 'is very supportive' of Harry, but that there was 'a lot of sadness' at being unable to stand alongside him publicly in London and Birmingham. 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. When it comes to Harry's relationship with his family, Meghan 'always lets him lead', a third source told People. 'This is not the first time it has not been plain sailing with correspondence or trying to make things work,' the source said. 'It all comes back to security.

If that was resolved, there would be so much more certainty every time he comes – or they come.' The week ended on a happier note with a secret family reunion involving the King and Queen Camilla at Highgrove – the first time Charles had seen his daughter-in-law and grandchildren since 2022. But Meghan missed all of Harry's public Invictus Games engagements, something friends say left her deeply upset. Royal author Russell Myers told People: 'What was billed as a big homecoming - not only for Harry but potentially for Meghan too - turned into a nightmare. It was further evidence of the fractiousness of Harry’s relationship with the institution.'

A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has been asked to comment. Harry is said to have been 'buoyed' and 'really energised' following his family reunion with King Charles. The Duke of Sussex was 'very happy' that his wife and children joined him to spend time with his father and stepmother, Queen Camilla, at Highgrove. Harry and his family are believed to have met the King and Queen for more than an hour. The King is said to have been determined to see his grandchildren for the first time in four years during a week in which Harry suffered a crushing defeat in his privacy court case against the Daily Mail.

Friends of Harry claimed he was 'buoyed, very happy and really energised' after the meeting, which also marked the monarch's first time meeting with Archie and Lilibet in four years. His wife Meghan Markle, who was famously accompanied down the aisle by her father-in-law the King on their wedding day in 2018, was also present after secretly flying the family to Britain. King Charles faced criticism in some quarters for meeting Harry and Meghan after suffering years of potshots at the Royal Family from California since Megxit, including claims of racism.

But a royal source responded that 'blood is blood' when asked about the decision to meet. 'Every journey of a thousand miles begins with one footstep,' the source added. Harry and his family are believed to have spent around an hour at Highgrove with King Charles and Queen Camilla. The gathering was particularly significant because it marked the first time that Meghan, Archie and Lilibet had seen the 77-year-old monarch – who is still undergoing treatment for cancer – in person since 2022.

Earlier in the day, there had been clues that something important was unfolding when Harry arrived at an engagement for the Invictus Games at the National Exhibition Centre, near Birmingham. An observer said: ‘Harry turned up at Invictus with a massive smile plastered all over his face.' The family reunion at Highgrove had clearly put Harry in high spirits following a week dominated by negative headlines, including a row over his security and a crushing defeat in his court case over privacy against the Daily Mail. After the visit to Highgrove, the Duke of Sussex was all smiles as he appeared at Scotty’s Summer Festival at Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire. Harry is the global ambassador for the charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which supports bereaved children from military families. During the festival, Harry posed playfully with children as he took part in ‘goat yoga’, surrounded by the animals. At one point, he joked: ‘Is there health and safety? Do they bite?’, before taking his place on a mat and performing the tree pose on one leg while miming goats’ ears with his hands.

As Harry lay on his back and the goats trampled over his body, someone in the crowd quipped that his security team should step in to ‘protect the crown jewels’. The Sussexes are believed to have been staying at the Althorp Estate in Northamptonshire – the ancestral home of Princess Diana’s family and where she is buried on a private island in the middle of a lake. The Duke of Sussex made his first public appearance since the UK trip - again without Meghan - as he walked the red carpet for the TIME100 Sports Gala in New York City last night.