While initial reports suggested that Meghan Markle would join Prince Harry as he traveled to Scotland to be by his grandmother’s side, that did not happen.
“Tensions were so high and there was no way Meghan would have gone to Balmoral,” a palace source told Page Six earlier this week. “The fact that the Sussex camp said both Harry and Meghan would go – and then quickly retracted that statement – tells you all you need to know about the drama behind the scenes.”
Now, a royal source is shedding some light on the details of this behind-the-scenes drama, in which now-King Charles appears to have played a big part.
“Charles told Harry that it was not right or appropriate for Meghan to be at Balmoral at such a deeply sad time,” a source told The Sun, adding that Charles “made it very, very clear that Meghan would not be most welcome”.
Given the long-standing tensions between Meghan, Harry and the rest of the royal family, Meghan’s absence fueled rumors of a row, but the source said the ban was more about limiting the Queen’s last visits to the immediate family.
“It was pointed out to him that Kate [Middleton] it didn’t work and that the numbers really should be limited to the closest family,” the insider added.
Following the Queen’s death, Meghan was included in royal mourning activities. Prince William specifically invited the Sussexes to join him and his wife, Kate Middleton, in greeting mourners and well-wishers outside Windsor Castle. A source told People that Will, who was recently named Prince of Wales, wanted Harry and Meghan to join him in the party as “an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family.”
Kayleigh Roberts Kayleigh Roberts is the weekend editor at Cosmo, focusing on celebrity news and the royals.
