Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, met with the Queen at Windsor Castle on Thursday during a brief stop while en route to the Netherlands, a spokesperson for the couple confirmed to BuzzFeed News.
The prince and the duchess formerly known as Meghan Markle popped in on the Queen on their way to this year's Invictus Games, the athletic competition for wounded, injured, and sick service members and veterans from countries around the world (including Ukraine, whose team arrived yesterday in The Hague, where the games will be taking place).
Prince Harry, a 10-year veteran of the British Army, founded the Invictus Games in 2014 after attending the Warrior Games during a visit to the United States in 2014.
"Prince Harry saw how the power of sport could help wounded servicemen and women in their recovery - physically, psychologically and socially," according to the royal family's official website.
Ahead of the @InvictusGamesNL #TeamUK received a very special surprise from the founding patron Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex! Check it out 👇 https://t.co/dLbCNsAmzB #InvictusGames #IG22 @PoppyLegion @DefenceHQ @WeAreInvictus
Royal correspondent and biographer Omid Scobie reported that despite stories in the UK media claiming that the couple, particularly Meghan, planned to avoid setting foot in the country during their European trip, Harry had always hoped to include a visit with his grandmother on their itinerary.
Nonetheless, the visit took many by surprise given Harry's ongoing lawsuit with the UK government to seek police protection for himself and his family when they are in the country.
The couple's children, Archie, 2, and Lilibet, 10 months, did not travel with their parents.
