Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Visit Queen Elizabeth in the U.K. for First Joint Visit Since Moving to U.S.

The couple are heading to the Netherlands this weekend for Prince Harry's fifth Invictus Games

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a stop in the U.K. to visit Queen Elizabeth on their way to the Invictus Games.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who relocated to Meghan's home state of California in 2020, returned to the U.K. together for the first time since March 2020. A spokesperson for the couple confirmed that they visited Harry's grandmother the Queen, 95, who has been staying at Windsor Castle.

The pair are in Europe for Prince Harry's fifth Invictus Games, taking place in the Dutch city of The Hague starting this weekend.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

Meghan, 40, has not returned to Europe since March 2020, when she and Prince Harry, 37, carried out their final round of royal engagements before they officially stepped back as working royals at the end of that month.

Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Queen Elizabeth, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in July 2018. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Prince Harry has returned to the U.K. on two occasions: for his grandfather Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021 and again to unveil a statue of his late mother Princess Diana alongside older brother Prince William in July 2021. (In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic limiting travel, Meghan gave birth to their daughter Lilibet Diana — named after the Queen's childhood nickname and Harry's mother — in June.)

meghan markle, queen elizabeth
Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth. Karwai Tang/WireImage

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This year's Invictus Games were originally scheduled for 2020 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's visit with the Queen, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

On Monday, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed that Meghan will join Prince Harry for the first several days of the Invictus Games, the international sports competition founded by Harry for wounded service members and veterans.

But it won't be Meghan's first Invictus experience. In 2017, she joined Harry at the Toronto Games, marking the couple's first official appearance together. She was by his side again in 2018 for the Sydney Games, shortly after the couple announced they were expecting their first child, son Archie Harrison.

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