On Wednesday 21, King Charles attended a reception at Lancaster House in support of conservation efforts in Indonesia, alongside Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
The engagement took place just two miles from the Royal Courts of Justice, where his son, the Duke of Sussex, was preparing to give evidence in his legal case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
Despite being in such close proximity, the King was not expected to meet with Prince Harry, in line with the protocol that the monarch should remain separate from ongoing legal proceedings.
The Duke of Sussex, along with Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Simon Hughes, Sadie Frost, and Liz Hurley, is taking legal action against ANL over alleged unlawful information gathering, including phone tapping and obtaining personal records through “blagging.”
ANL has denied any wrongdoing.
King Charles arrived in London after spending the start of the week in Scotland.
During the event, he joked about the rainy London weather with President Subianto.
The King said: “sorry about the weather.”
The two leaders then shared a cup of tea and spoke with representatives involved in Indonesia’s Peusangan Elephant Conservation Initiative (PECI), which focuses on protecting Sumatran elephants and their forest habitats.
The conversation took place in the Grand Hall of Lancaster House.
Prior to the King’s arrival, a roundtable was held at Lancaster House to discuss strengthening support for Indonesia’s biodiversity.
The meeting included discussions about the PECI scheme and was co-hosted by Seema Malhotra, the UK’s Minister for Indo-Pacific, and Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Indonesia’s special presidential envoy on energy and environment.
Although the King and Duke have had a troubled relationship, they reunited in September for the first time in 19 months, sharing afternoon tea at Clarence House.
The Duke described his father as “great.”
However, they were not expected to meet during this visit.
The King, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2024, recently announced in a televised address that his treatment schedule would be reduced—a development he described as a “personal blessing.”
Meanwhile, at the High Court on Wednesday, Prince Harry began giving evidence in his legal challenge against ANL.
He told the court that he does not have “leaky” social circles and insisted that the stories at the centre of his legal claim were not the type of information he would have shared publicly.
Prince Harry said: “My social circles were not leaky, I want to make that absolutely clear.
“When you are in a situation like this, the moment something private is out, your circle of trust and knowledge decreases over time.
“The stuff in these articles is not the kind of stuff I would talk about openly.”
He explained that it was “impossible to complain” about certain stories due to the volume of coverage he received and the royal policy of “never complain, never explain.”
One article he found especially hurtful involved “confidential discussions” following the publication of a photograph of his dying mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Italian press.
He described the story as “beyond cruel.”
The Duke said in his witness statement that he has always had an uneasy relationship with the press, and that he believed he could not complain about certain articles because of the constraints imposed by “the institution” of the monarchy.
The trial is expected to conclude in March, with a written judgment to follow.
