The rare family meal was convened as the working royals were all north of the border for official duties. All five of the royals dined together and then stayed the night at the historic Palace, the Daily Mail reports.

William, who is known as the Duke of Rothesay when north of the border, had spent yesterday afternoon in Aberdeen visiting one of his Homewards initiatives as part of the third anniversary celebrations of the project. He then travelled over 100 miles south to Edinburgh to stay with his father.

He stayed the night at Holyrood because today he has joined the King, Queen and Duke of Edinburgh for the Order of the Thistle service at St Giles's Cathedral.

The Princess of Wales is understood to have stayed at the family home in Windsor with their three children, as they are in their final week of the summer term.

Meanwhile, the King's siblings, Anne and Edward, had attended yesterday afternoon's Garden Party in the grounds of the Scottish royal residence.

Buckingham Palace has not commented on the family dinner, but the publication confirmed independently that the meal was held on Tuesday evening. Any conversations had are likely to remain private.

News of the family meal comes just days before Prince Harry will return to the UK for a series of engagements.

He is due to arrive at the beginning of the week to mark the one-year countdown to the Birmingham Invictus Games 2027.

His wife and children were due to join him for the trip, but the Duke's spokesperson has said this is now up in the air after it emerged the family would not get any taxpayer-funded security.