Prince and Princess of Wales Leave Balmoral After Week With King Charles as Harry's UK Return Looms

The Prince and Princess of Wales have departed Balmoral after a week-long stay with King Charles and Queen Camilla, bringing an end to the royal family's annual Scottish summer gathering at a moment already heavy with change.

William and Kate arrived at the Balmoral estate on Thursday, August 20, 2026, joining Charles and Camilla for what royal watchers noted was a sooner-than-expected arrival — described by some outlets as a surprise show of support for the King following the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle plan to move back to the UK with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet (HELLO!). Harry confirmed the planned return the same week the Waleses made their way north.

For the wider family, the visit followed a familiar rhythm. Charles was officially welcomed to Balmoral — the monarch's Scottish residence in Aberdeenshire, traditionally used for the late-summer break — with a ceremony on Tuesday, August 18 (People). On Sunday, August 23, the King and Queen attended church at Crathie Kirk, the parish church used by the royal family when in residence, joined by William and Kate (Hola). Charles was pictured at Balmoral for the first time since the Harry and Meghan news broke that same weekend (HELLO!).

The congregation at Crathie on the Sunday was a sizeable one. Alongside Charles, Camilla, William and Kate, the congregation included Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, and Prince Edward and Lady Louise Windsor (HELLO!). Before this Balmoral stay, the Wales family's last public appearance had been in early August at the Commonwealth Games, where all three children joined their parents (Town & Country).

Now the focus shifts south. Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will return to Lambrook, the preparatory school in Berkshire the Wales children attend (HELLO!). The new school term beckons, and the family's departure from Balmoral signals the close of the royal summer calendar.

The backdrop to this year's departure carries an edge that most summers do not. HELLO!'s royal editor Emily Nash said the Prince and Princess of Wales were "not delighted" at the news of Harry and Meghan's planned return to the UK (HELLO!). The Waleses' early arrival at Balmoral and the assembled family at Crathie Kirk were, for many observers, a picture of a household closing ranks — though the palace has made no formal statement on the Sussexes' relocation.

What happens next, on the public schedule, is routine: Lambrook's term begins, engagements resume, and the autumn diary fills. What happens next between two brothers living once more in the same country is anything but routine — and no one at the palace is putting a date on when that particular reunion might appear in the Court Circular.