PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle greeted athletes on day one of the Invictus Games today.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex received a warm welcome at the sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women in the Netherlands – just days after secretly meeting the Queen in Britain.
The royals dressed down for the occasion in The Hague, with Meghan opting for loose jeans and a navy jacket and Harry a dark polo shirt and blue trousers.
Both later slipped on sunglasses for the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge at Zuiderpark, which tests “navigational ability, observation and teamwork”.
Some 48 hours earlier, Harry and Meghan met the monarch and Prince Charles at Windsor Castle on their first joint trip to Britain since they quit royal duty in March 2020.
Harry is understood to have behind the “clear the air” chat, but he may have been encouraged by Her Majesty, 95, after they missed Prince Philip’s memorial service.
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An insider said: “Harry contacted his father and said he wanted to meet.
“Harry instigated it all. It was an olive branch from Harry and made in an effort to clear the air.
“The Queen agreed to see them both but only after he had met Charles first.
“As the Queen said when Megxit was signed, they will always be a much-loved part of the family.”
Harry and Meg jetted to the UK on their way to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games, which the duke helped set up.
The couple last night made a dazzling entrance in Holland – their first public appearance together in Europe since Megxit.
Both beamed as they arrived hand-in-hand to meet hero competitors, followed closely by a Netflix crew filming their £112million documentary.
Meghan was dressed all in white, with an oversized £2,100 Valentino blazer, matching £1,100 flared trousers, plus a pair of £810 white Aquazzura heels.
Also on display was a £286 Sophie Lis gold pendant necklace, the £12,626 diamond Cartier earrings she wore for her wedding to Harry, a gold chain finger bracelet — plus a Cartier Tank watch worth about £4,800.
Meghan topped it off with a white £2,200 Valentino bag with gold clasp and gold chain.
The couple’s spectacular arrival had all the hallmarks of a royal engagement — the likes of which Harry had jettisoned when he quit to live in the US.
‘PRODUCTIVE’ TALKS
The Royal Family has been rocked by repeated bombshells since the Sussexes moved stateside – but it is hoped their conversations with the monarch and future king were positive and “productive”.
And they may mean the duke decides to hold off releasing his “wholly truthful” autobiography, timed for release later this year.
Harry and Meghan have been given “VVIP” status by Dutch police for their visit, meaning they will be guarded by a “high-level multi-agency protection programme”, it is claimed.
Their plea for the private security team to be armed was earlier snubbed by Dutch authorities, but their bodyguards are said to have liaised with officials for their first post-Megxit trip.
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It comes amid Harry’s ongoing legal battle with the British Government after he was stripped of his taxpayer-funded Met Police armed guards when he quit royal duty.
The couple have been assured there is “no credible threat” to their safety and they will be impeccably looked after by Dutch security.
