Prince Harry and Meghan secretly visit the Queen to extend ‘olive branch’

Prince Harry and Meghan have flown to the UK to visit the Queen, as the 95-year-old monarch further retreats from the public eye.

Harry and Meghan jetted into the UK yesterday for a secret face-to-face meeting with the Queen.

The couple also saw Prince Charles in a whistlestop visit to Windsor Castle — their first joint UK trip since they quit royal duty in March 2020.

The couple, who stopped off on their way to the Invictus Games in Holland, smiled and waved back at the stunned visitors, who were at Windsor for the traditional Maundy Thursday ceremony, The Sun reports.

One said: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw who it was. We waved and they waved back.

“They looked happy and relaxed and waved to everyone on the bus. Charles and the Queen were at Windsor Castle at the same time so they must have met them both.

Prince Harry’s visit comes as the Queen further retreats from the public eye.

“It was quite the sight. We knew we might see Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at the ceremony but never believed we would bump in to Harry and Meghan.”

Harry and Meghan’s secret visit comes as royal aides have been left “worried,” fearing the Queen’s limited mobility will cause her future public appearances to be far and few between.

The Queen is expected to miss another traditional event of the Easter period, the Sunday service attended by the royal family this weekend.

There are also concerns she may miss key events for her upcoming Jubilee celebrations.

Royal biographer, Angela Levin told Sky News that Her Majesty’s absence may impact crowd numbers.

She said: “I imagine that the aides are worried that if the public don’t see her, people may think that if she’s not there it’s not worth us going.”

Harry and Meghan jetted into the UK for a secret face-to-face meeting with the Queen. Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Harry and Meghan, who quit royal duty for a life in the States in 2020, have sparked anger with a series of broadsides from across the Atlantic.

Harry is also suing the government for taking away his armed bodyguards, claiming he “does not feel safe in the UK”.

However Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said yesterday’s visit would have been welcome on all sides.

She said: “It is a wonderful opportunity to clear the air and offer an olive branch. After everything that has gone on it must have taken a lot for Harry and Meghan to go to Windsor.

“Also Maundy Thursday is a very special day for the Queen as it is about forgiveness. She is not one to hold grudges and I think she would have happily welcomed them with open arms.”

The couple are expected to meet with the Queen and Prince Charles. Picture: Tolga Akmen – WPA Pool/Getty Images

It is not known if the couple brought their son Archie, two, and 11-month-old daughter Lilibet — who the Queen has never met.

Yesterday’s hush-hush stopover was the first time Harry and Meghan have been back in the UK together since March 2020.

It comes weeks after Harry chose not to attend a memorial service for his grandfather Philip at Westminster Abbey — though he did promise he would see his grandmother “as soon as possible”.

Last March Harry and Meghan gave a bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey on US TV, accusing a royal family member of racism.

Harry arrived alone the following month for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral while Meghan stayed in the US, pregnant with Lilibet.

Harry was seen chatting to William and his father Charles after the ceremony at Windsor Castle.

But weeks later he blasted his father and upbringing, telling a podcast he took his family to the US to “break the cycle of pain”.

It is not known if Archie, two, and 11-month-old daughter Lilibet are also in the UK. Picture: Alexi Lubomirski/Handout/The Duke and Duchess of Sussex

Charles is thought to have offered his security and homes if Harry and Meghan stayed in the UK.

Harry saw his brother William when he flew back last summer for the unveiling of their mother Princess Diana’s statue.

Last July it also emerged he is penning an autobiography in which he is expected to blast Charles and his stepmother Camilla.

Courtiers close to Charles only discovered the plans when it was made public.

Then in February this year, Harry claimed in legal papers his family feels “unsafe” in the UK without armed protection.

Harry says the decision by the Home Office in 2021 to remove his taxpayer-funded Met Police bodyguards was “unfair” and “unlawful”.

His lawyer, Shaheed Fatima QC, told the High Court that he wants to return to see his family.

She said: “This claim is about the fact that the claimant does not feel safe when he is in the UK given the security arrangements that were applied to him in June 2021 and will continue to be applied to him if he returns.

“And, of course, it should go without saying that he wants to come back: to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart. Most of all, this is, and always will be, his home.”

Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton pictured together in 2018. Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Harry and Meghan are both set to appear tomorrow at the opening ceremony of Harry’s Invictus Games in The Hague.

Harry is set to stay in Holland for the week-long event, which he helped set up for wounded soldiers. Participants will include a team of heroes from Ukraine.

Meghan is set to be alongside her husband for “several days”.

Their every move will be documented by a team from Netflix as part of their $200 million deal with the streaming giants.

They have been told they cannot use private armed bodyguards but are classed as VVIPs by the Dutch authorities, meaning they get five-star security.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and has been republished with permission.