Queen Camilla looked elegant in a white dress today as she returned to work after her and King Charles’s summer holiday in Balmoral.

Braving the rain, the royal, 78, chose a favourite outfit, which she was last seen in at Wimbledon in July 2023, to visit the New Normandy Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire, in her capacity as Royal Colonel.

Camilla’s white midi dress featured a stylish top with black vertical stitching that continued down into the pleated skirt.

She completed the monochrome ensemble with a pair of beige, suede court shoes with a kitten heel.

The monarch’s blonde hair fell in a classic blow dry and she accessorised with a turquoise and gold bracelet.

Camilla met with members of the 4th Battalion of The Ranger Regiment and their families to hear more about the work of the unit.

She was pictured smiling as she shook hands with soldiers dressed in army camouflage and chatted lightheartedly to their partners and children.

King Charles also returned to work today, visiting Birmingham Oratory where he received a tour of the religious buildings and met with the priests and brothers based there.

Charles, 76, attended the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri following the canonisation of Cardinal John Henry Newman and was met by the Archbishop of Birmingham and the Provost of the Birmingham Oratory, Father Ignatius Harrison, who guided him through the ornate nave.

The King, who was smartly dressed in a grey suit and a red patterned tie, was shown the Cardinal’s room, which has remained untouched since his death in 1890 and still contains Newman’s personal effects.

The monarch’s tour, conducted by Mr Daniel Joyce, curator of the Newman Museum, also took in the library, which is home to several historic items.

Among these are The Polyglot Bible from 1657, which has a dedication to King Charles II, the handwritten manuscript of ‘The Dream of Gerontius’, the library’s oldest book, and Cardinal John Henry Newman’s viola, which dates to 1800.

Charles smiled as he looked around the rooms and appeared fascinated by the religious books on the display in the library.

He was pictured studying the text of one of the volumes and enjoying a discussion with curator Daniel Joyce.

His Majesty put on an animated display as he met members of the Oratory community, including the priests, brothers and staff, and later unveiled a plaque in the courtyard to commemorate the visit.

Cardinal John Henry Newman established the Birmingham Oratory in 1848, one year after he had joined the Congregation of the Oratory in Rome.

The current church building dates to 1901, when it was built to commemorate the Cardinal, and was inspired by Saint Philip Neri’s own Oratory in the Oratorio dei Filippini in the Italian capital.

John Henry Newman was created a cardinal in 1879 but decided to stay at the Oratory until his death in 1890.

Later, in 2019, he was canonised at the Vatican, which King Charles attended as the Prince of Wales. Before the ceremony, which took place in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican, Charles met Pope Francis.

Charles’s engagement on Wednesday comes after the news that he is expected to meet with Prince Harry for the first time in 20 months this September – though Harry’s older brother William has reportedly rejected the invitation ‘out of hand’.

Reconciliation is ‘within reach’ between the Duke of Sussex and his father following an informal peace summit involving Buckingham Palace officials.

Harry is expected in London on September 8 for the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II‘s death where he will also attend the WellChild Awards – a charity event he has avidly supported.

A US source told The Mirror there was now a ‘determination on both sides to make this happen’.

The source added: ‘Nobody is pretending the wider family issues have been resolved, but this is about beginning with Charles and Harry. For the first time in a long time, there’s a genuine sense that reconciliation is within reach.

‘Prince Harry’s team and the Palace have opened a line of communication, and there is every hope that father and son will see one another when the Duke returns to London in September.’

The source said there was a ‘feeling the time is right’ following 20 months apart and as the King continues his cancer treatment.

It is expected the encounter will be a ‘simple face-to-face conversation between a father and a son’ rather than a ‘grand gesture or set-piece meeting’. ‘Privacy and dignity’ have also been highlighted as priorities.

However, a reconciliation between the prince and his brother is said to have been ‘rejected out of hand’.

In the midst of the planned meeting, it is understood Harry’s wife Meghan Markle will remain in California with the couple’s two children, Archie and Lilibet.

The last time the King saw his grandchildren was June 2022 when Harry and Meghan returned for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The Duke of Sussex’s trip on September 8 will mark his first visit since he failed to appeal the downgrading of his security protection in the UK.

Last month Harry and Meghan’s new chief of communications, Meredith Maines, met with Tobyn Andreae, the King’s communications secretary, at the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) a three-minute walk from Clarence House, the monarch’s London residence.

It was not known whether it had been Charles or Harry who extended the olive branch, but insiders said the summit was the strongest sign yet of the determination on both sides to resolve the bitter House of Windsor feud.

In May, Harry had said he ‘would love a reconciliation’ as he did not know ‘how much longer my father has’. Though, the public appeal was still followed by little personal contact.

Despite September’s anticipated meeting, relations between Harry and the Prince of Wales are thought to remain frosty.

In 2020 when Harry and Meghan stepped down as working royals, hopes were high within the firm that a halfway point could be found.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed their decision to ‘step back as “senior” members’ was to become more financially independent and to enjoy more privacy from the prying eyes of the media.

But what followed was a slew of allegations against the monarchy. In their March 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey the pair claimed the had suffered racism and that Meghan had even been left suicidal.

In 2022 they went on to accuse the palace of ‘unconscious bias’ before Harry’s memoir Spare in early 2023 made a number of new claims.

King Charles is said to have been ‘deeply saddened’ by the allegations but has left the door open to reconciliation.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Buckingham Palace were contacted for comment.