Prior to Queen Elizabeth’s death on September 8, it was reported that Prince Harry made his way to Balmoral Castle to visit his grandmother without Meghan Markle. Unfortunately, his plane landed after the queen had already passed away at 96 years old.
According to a new report by Entertainment Tonight, the Duchess of Sussex was not invited to join the royal family at the holiday estate. “It’s understood that the family wanted Prince Harry to be there, even though he was unable to get to Balmoral in time to see his grandmother,” royal expert Katie Nicholl said. “But Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was not, we understand, invited to join the family. She has said she will go to Balmoral another time. But I think it is quite significant that Prince Harry traveled to Balmoral on his own without his wife.”
While these statements feed into reports of a royal rift between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family, it should be noted that Meghan wasn’t the only one who stayed behind. Kate Middleton remained in Windsor while her husband traveled to Scotland.
While King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, and Princess Anne were already in Scotland prior to the queen’s death, Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Sophie, the Countess of Sussex, all joined the King ahead of Prince Harry’s arrival. “This is a family in mourning now, and of course, the queen was a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother,” Nicholl said.
