King Charles has reunited with Meghan Markle, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet for the first time in four years — and he chose one of his most personal residences for the occasion.

The King, 77, and Queen Camilla , 78, welcomed Prince Harry and his family to Highgrove House on Friday, July 10, Charles’ private Gloucestershire home, for what was considered a private family gathering.

No photographs or additional details are expected from the reunion. Meghan and the children are believed to have arrived in Britain from a European vacation on Thursday night.

Hosting the Sussexes at Highgrove was a meaningful choice. Long regarded as Charles’ beloved country retreat, the estate offered a private setting away from the public eye for the long-awaited family get-together.

Prince Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, rearranged their original plans to visit the U.K. as a family this week after an explosive back and forth with the palace about the security arrangements that would be provided for them. The Duke of Sussex has said he “does not feel safe” bringing his wife and kids to his homeland without state-funded security, a protection he and Meghan lost when they stepped back from their royal roles in 2020.

Harry ultimately traveled to London alone, carrying out a series of engagements for WellChild and the Invictus Games before reuniting privately with Meghan, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.

That made Highgrove House a particularly fitting choice for the family’s long-awaited gathering. Located in the Gloucestershire countryside, Charles’ private residence allowed the Sussexes to remain outside London, where security concerns had upended their plans throughout the week.

The location also made logistical sense. After spending Friday morning in Birmingham for the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games, Harry was already less than a two-hour drive from Highgrove. The estate is also about two hours from Althorp House, Princess Diana’s childhood home and final resting place, where Harry and his family are expected to spend time during their visit.

The King was also within easy reach, traveling to Highgrove after a morning of engagements in Oxfordshire, about an hour away by car.

Highgrove also offered something Buckingham Palace could not: privacy. Charles has long regarded the estate as his sanctuary, transforming its gardens into one of Britain’s best-known horticultural destinations after purchasing the property in 1980. Hosting Harry, Meghan and their children there provided a secluded setting away from the formality and scrutiny of the London royal residences.

The estate is also steeped in memories for Harry. In his memoir Spare, he recalled that he and his brother, Prince William, had a favorite teenage hideaway at Highgrove — the country home’s basement, known as “Club H.”

The converted bomb shelter, nicknamed “Club H” for “Highgrove,” became a cozy retreat where Harry wrote that he and William would spend time together, often bringing friends there after nights out on the weekends.

“Club H was the perfect hideout for a teenager, but especially this teenager. When I wanted peace, Club H provided. When I wanted mischief, Club H was the safest place to act out. When I wanted solitude, what better than a bomb shelter in the British countryside?” the Duke of Sussex wrote in his groundbreaking memoir, published in 2023.

“Willy felt the same,” he added about his brother, from whom he remains estranged and is not expected to see during his visit to Britain.