King back in London carrying out duties as Harry prepares to enter witness box

The King has carried out official duties in London as his son the Duke of Sussex prepares to enter the witness box to give evidence at the High Court.

Charles attended a reception in support of Indonesian conservation efforts at Lancaster House, next door to his Clarence House residence, on Wednesday morning.

The monarch was joined by the president of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto, with the pair due to have an audience together afterwards at nearby St James’s Palace.

The monarch, who was away in Scotland at the start of the week, conducted his engagements just two miles away from where Harry is due to begin giving evidence in person in his legal battle against the publisher of the Mail.

Harry was reunited with Charles for the first time in 19 months on his last visit to the UK in September, and the pair, who have had a troubled relationship, had afternoon tea at Clarence House, with the duke describing his father as “great”.

But the King and the duke are not expected to see one another this time, with the monarch following the general principle that a sovereign should steer clear of any active legal proceedings.

Harry, Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, politician Sir Simon Hughes, and actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley are all bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over allegations of unlawful information gathering.

This includes claims that information for articles was obtained by carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as phone tapping and “blagging” private records.

Harry attended the opening of the trial on Monday and the start of proceedings on Tuesday, but was seen leaving the Royal Courts of Justice in London during the lunch break.

On Tuesday, David Sherborne, for Harry and the group, said the duke feels he has “endured a sustained campaign of attacks against him” because he “had the temerity to stand up” to ANL.

ANL has strongly denied wrongdoing and is defending the claims.

Charles and Harry, 41, are now said to be in regular contact despite their past difficulties.

Just over a month ago, the King, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2024, shared the good news in a televised broadcast that his schedule of treatment was being reduced in the New Year, describing it as a “personal blessing”

In May, the duke gave an interview to the BBC in which he claimed the King would not speak to him because of his legal fight with the Home Office over security and he did not know “how much longer my father has” as he described his hopes for a “reconciliation”.

The sit-down chat came after the duke lost a Court of Appeal challenge over his security arrangements while in the UK.

Before the King arrived, a roundtable discussion was staged at Lancaster House to mobilise support for the conservation of Indonesia’s biodiversity and landscapes, including through the Peusangan Elephant Conservation Initiative (PECI) which focuses on protecting critically endangered Sumatran elephants and the forests on which they depend.

The talks were co-hosted by the UK’s minister for Indo-Pacific Seema Malhotra and Indonesian special presidential envoy on energy and environment Hashim Djojohadikusumo.

The King joked about the rainy weather in London as he shook hands with the president of Indonesia.

He said “sorry about the weather” before the pair started laughing.

Charles and the president then shared a cup of tea and met representatives and members of the PECI and other bodies in the Grand Hall.