A royal show of unity: Smiling Kate attends church service with William, children and rest of family near Balmoral ahead of Harry and Meghan’s shock return to Britain

Members of the Royal Family attended Sunday service at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral, presenting a united front days after the surprise announcement that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are returning to live in the UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales, joined by their son Prince George, were among those seen at the small Aberdeenshire church, alongside King Charles, Queen Camilla and other senior royals. The gathering followed a reported family "summit" at the estate, though officials insist it was simply part of the long-standing tradition of relatives staying at Balmoral over summer. William and Kate have made no public comment on the Sussexes' return, with relations between the brothers still strained following Harry's past criticisms of his family.

Also attending church were Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Lady Louise Windsor, while Zara and Mike Tindall and Peter Phillips with his wife Harriet Sperling were separately spotted at Balmoral. Harry and Meghan's children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, have reportedly been enrolled in British schools ahead of the new term, with the family expected to settle outside London, possibly in the Cotswolds, after six years based in Montecito, California. Sources say the terms of the couple's 2020 "Megxit" settlement, under which they are not working royals, will remain unchanged, and that King Charles was reportedly only informed of the homecoming plan last weekend.