Prince Harry made his first public appearance with his wife, Meghan Markle, in the U.S. since his long-awaited reunion with his father, King Charles III.
The royal couple made an unannounced appearance at the One805LIVE! concert in Carpinteria, California, on Saturday, September 20. This was Harry’s third annual visit to the event, which raises money for Santa Barbara County’s first responders.
Meghan joined Harry backstage at the concert, before they briefly appeared onstage to present an award to Santa Barbara County Fire Chief, Mark Hartwig, according to reports. The concert was held on Hollywood legend Kevin Costner’s oceanside property, and featured live performances from country music icon Trisha Yearwood, rockers Good Charlotte and R&B singer Thelma Houston, among others.
Organizers have described the One805LIVE! event as “an unforgettable evening of music, community, and support for our First Responders.”
“One805LIVE! is our flagship annual benefit concert, bringing together legendary artists and passionate supporters to raise funds for essential equipment and mental wellness programs for Santa Barbara County’s first responders,” the group explained on its website.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have called Santa Barbara home since 2020, after temporarily living in friend Tyler Perry’s Beverly Hills mansion when they first moved from Canada to the U.S. (Harry and Meghan spent the early part of their marriage living at Frogmore Cottage near Windsor Castle, before resigning their royal duties in January 2020.)
It has been a whirlwind few weeks for Harry, as he just returned to the U.S. following a trip to his native U.K. for the WellChild Awards as well as a diplomatic visit to Ukraine. While in London, he reunited with his father King Charles III for the first time in 19 months during a one-on-one meeting at Clarence House on September 10.
A source exclusively confirmed to Us Weekly that father and son reconciled after King Charles received “a handwritten letter from Harry earlier this year” that expressed “his [son’s] desire to reconnect.” Harry chatted with his father for around 54 minutes before he had to leave for an event in honor of the Invictus Games.
“They were catching up personally about the children and what has been going on with Charles and his health,” an insider told Us. “There were hugs and tears at the meeting.”
The meeting was likely to have been emotionally charged since Charles was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024. Following the meeting, Harry told The Guardian that “the focus really has to be on my dad” in the year ahead.
Asked if the reunion increased the likelihood of moving his family back to the U.K., Harry answered: “This week has definitely brought that closer.” (Harry and Meghan share two children: a son, Prince Archie, 6, and a daughter, Princess Lilibet, 4.)
Us has learned that, while Harry and King Charles are on better terms these days, there is still a rift between the prince and his brother, William.
“There is still ongoing tension with William and Kate,” a source exclusively revealed to Us on Monday, September 15. “They are deeply hurt by the public disclosures, memoir revelations and interviews and criticisms of their roles, which they perceive as breaches of trust that require significant time to heal from, which is why they aren’t there yet.”
Meanwhile, Meghan celebrated her husband’s return home to the U.S. following his European trip via the official Instagram account of her brand As Ever on September 14.
Alongside a photo of two glasses of wine, she wrote: “When your beau is back in town…”
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