Kate Middleton held “private talks” with a special guest at Windsor Castle.
Royal expert Richard Eden confirmed that the Princess of Wales, 44, met with Bill Gates’s ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, 61, after it was confirmed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will visit the U.K. next month. The pair, who will be accompanied by their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, is set to appear at a series of events marking the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027.
Eden divulged that Bill Gates was once a frequent guest at royal events. Despite the Microsoft founder being named in the Jeffrey Epstein files, as was Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Melinda is “still welcome at the palace.” This comes after a royal expert said Prince William and Kate may take “higher ground” during Harry and Meghan’s U.K. return.
The royal expert said (per The News), “To prove it, the Princess of Wales invited her to Windsor Castle on Tuesday for private talks.”
Eden added it’s unknown what the billionaire and the princess discussed, but Melinda and Kate have continued to be friends after the former met the latter in her role as founder of Pivotal, a philanthropic organization promoting women’s empowerment.
The meeting comes days ahead of Harry and Meghan’s family trip to the U.K. They are reportedly set to meet King Charles, who is eager to see his grandchildren.
Eden said, “I suspect the king is genuinely eager to spend time with Archie and Lili because opportunities have been so limited.”
The 77-year-old monarch has already offered royal accommodations for the Sussexes and their children, in an apparent sign of reconciliation between father and son. However, whether Prince William and Kate will offer similar gestures remains to be seen.
If William and Kate were to make a “gesture of goodwill” toward Harry and Meghan upon their return to the U.K., it would be to take the “higher ground,” a royal expert said. But they likely won’t.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold, who worked for Charles between 2004 and 2011 and also served William, Kate, and Harry, doesn’t think the brothers or their wives will extend any kind of olive branch to one another during the visit.
Speaking on behalf of OLBG Harrold told The Express US, “If William and Kate were to do something as a gesture of goodwill, it would be taking the higher ground, which I imagine they don’t want to do.”
He added, “The only gesture I can imagine is a dinner or a lunch, which is most likely to be held by the King; it isn’t something William and Kate would host.
“The gesture would be for all four of them to turn up. Ultimately, it would come down to whether the brothers want to see each other and will accept the invitation.”
Harrold continued, “I don’t think a gesture will come from Harry and Meghan either. Their coming over to the UK is their way of taking a step, but I don’t see them doing anything else to build the bridge.”
He concluded, “But the time is going to be very difficult because there hasn’t been a reunion in so many ears, so it will be an interesting time for everyone.”
On June 17, the Daily Telegraph reported that Harry would return to the U.K. next month for the first time in four years with Meghan and their two children.
Harry has returned to the U.K. on several occasions since stepping back from royal life, but the upcoming trip will mark the first time the Sussex family has visited the country since June 2022, when the family joined a celebration to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign.
Meghan was last in the U.K. in September 2022 for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
Harry and Charles have reunited in the U.K. only once before, in September 2025, marking their first in-person meeting in 19 months with a private 55-minute conversation at the King’s London residence. It came while Harry was in the U.K. for the Wellchild Awards and Invictus Games events.
Now, Charles has offered his younger son and his family accommodation on a royal estate. However, there has been no response to the offer as of June 19, according to multiple outlets, including People.
On previous occasions, Charles has offered Harry accommodation at Buckingham Palace, which he has declined. If Harry and his family stay at a royal residence, they would still be barred from additional security provisions, which are decided by the Home Office.
After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from their royal roles in 2020, they lost their tax-funded police protection, which Harry has sought to reinstate in court, citing safety concerns in his home country.
The Duke of Sussex has noted that he doesn’t feel safe bringing his family to the U.K. In a statement to the High Court in London, he said that he needed security for his two children “to feel at home” in his country.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
