Queen Elizabeth has reportedly invited Prince Harry for lunch at Windsor Castle when he’s back in the UK next month.
The Duke of Sussex will be returning to Britain for the unveiling of a statue in honour of his late mother Princes Diana on July 1 and his grandmother the queen wants to reconnect with Harry following his move to California and his stepping down from senior royal duties.
Since his move Stateside with his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex the couple criticised their treatment within the British royal family after Meghan married Harry in May 2018 during a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The 36-year-old former army captain – whose father is the queen’s son and heir to the throne Prince Charles – also opened up on his mental health struggles growing up as a royal in the wake of his mother Diana’s death in 1997 when he was just 12 and the effect that momentous moment had on the rest of his life in Apple TV+ docuseries ‘The Me you Can’t See’.
According to the Richard Eden column in the Daily Mail newspaper, a source said: “It’s a typically magnanimous gesture by Her Majesty. The lunch will be a chance for them to talk things through.”
The queen’s invitation was made before the birth of Harry and Meghan’s daughter Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor on June 4.
The moniker chose by the couple is actually Queen Elizabeth’s nickname, whilst the baby’s middle name is Diana.
A statement released on their Archewell website read: “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.”
After announcing the birth of their daughter Buckingham Palace confirmed the queen, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, as well his brother Prince William and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge were all “delighted” with the news.
The palace said in a statement: “The Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are delighted with the news.”
While the Prince of Wales tweeted separately: “Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie on the arrival of baby Lilibet Diana. Wishing them all well at this special time.”