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The British royal family was seen together for the first time over the weekend since the news broke that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are relocating back to the United Kingdom. The outing, a Sunday church service at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral Castle, brought together three generations of the family in what amounted to a quiet but visible show of solidarity.
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King Charles and Queen Camilla on the way to Crathie Kirk.
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Members of the Balaklava company march ahead of the service at Crathie Kirk.
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived first, followed by Prince William and Kate Middleton with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their daughter Lady Louise Windsor were also among those seen arriving for the service. Troops from the Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, provided a guard of honor for the King and Queen.
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William and Kate, styled as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, in the car to church.
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Princess Charlotte can be seen in the middle of the backseat, next to Prince George.
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Prince Louis looks out the window.
The outing also marked Charles’s first public appearance since his formal arrival at Balmoral Castle the previous Tuesday, just a few days before it was reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are moving back to Britain for an extended period. The couple’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will begin school in the UK in September. The family will maintain their home in Montecito, California, while establishing a new private residence outside of London.
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Sir Timothy Laurence seen driving with Princess Anne and the Duchess of Edinburgh.
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Lady Louise Windsor can also be seen in the back of the vehicle next to her father, Prince Edward.
Balmoral Castle has served as the British royal family’s private summer retreat since 1852. Peter Phillips and his new wife Harriet Sperling as well as Zara and Mike Tindall arrived soon after the King and Queen, while the Prince and Princess of Wales were reported to have arrived just before the weekend. Crathie Kirk, a historic Church of Scotland parish church located just a short distance from Balmoral Castle, has been the royal family’s place of worship during their Scottish summers for generations.
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Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.