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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle turned down Queen's invite to Balmoral twice before her death, claims author

'I would imagine that might well be a source of regret for Prince Harry,' said Katie Nicholl
PUBLISHED OCT 7, 2022
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle allegedly declined an offer to visit Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral in 2019 (Matt Dunham, Joe Giddens/Getty Images)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle allegedly declined an offer to visit Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral in 2019 (Matt Dunham, Joe Giddens/Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: It has been reported that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle turned down an offer to meet Queen Elizabeth II on two separate occasions before the late monarch's death in September. The claim was made by Katie Nicholl, the royal correspondent for Vanity Fair, in her book titled 'The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth's Legacy and the Future of the Crown', where she explores the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's departure from the royal family as well as its long-term effects on all parties involved, reports Fox News.

According to Nicholl, the invitation to spend a long weekend at the Queen's Balmoral estate in Scotland was extended to the pair for the first time in the summer of 2019. On the other hand, the pair apparently become emotionally distant months before they publicly announced their split.

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"The queen traditionally hosted a big gathering for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren," Nicholl told Fox News Digital. "It was always a weekend that she looked forward to. And on this occasion, the Sussexes didn’t go. I was told that it wouldn’t have fit their narrative at that point. The narrative was very much ‘this is us against them.’ There was that sense of separation. And perhaps turning up and playing happy families wouldn’t have fit into that narrative."

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II at the Queen's Young Leaders Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace on June 26, 2018 in London, England. The Queen's Young Leaders Programme, now in its fourth and final year, celebrates the achievements of young people from across the Commonwealth working to improve the lives of people across a diverse range of issues including supporting people living with mental health problems, access to education, promoting gender equality, food scarcity and climate change.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Queen Elizabeth II at the Queen's Young Leaders Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace on June 26, 2018, in London, England. (Photo by John Stillwell - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

According to Nicholl's book, the Sussexes' choice to take their son Archie to Ibiza and the South of France "raised eyebrows." There were rumors at the time that Meghan's birthday, which is August 4, was on the same date as the vacation. Meghan, a former actress, was reportedly growing more dissatisfied with the palace's lack of support at that time. Nicholl said the duo was "exhausted by the press scrutiny, a racism they felt was both overt and covert, and the primal need as parents to protect their baby son."

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation during their royal tour of South Africa on September 25, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation during their royal tour of South Africa on September 25, 2019, in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Toby Melville - Pool/Getty Images)

"According to a palace insider, the couple was left shaken by the experience and increasingly concerned by the online trolling of Meghan, which grew exponentially as she transformed from royal girlfriend to new duchess," Nicholl wrote. "Her work ethic, style, and self-belief led to a steady stream of negative stories. At first, they related to her attitude toward palace staff. Soon and more alarmingly, they would concern her relationship with her sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge." She noted referring to Kate Middleton, "It should be pointed out that Catherine also had to tolerate unpleasant and derogatory press coverage during her tenure as a royal girlfriend and fiancée, specifically about her middle-class upbringing and her mother’s former job as a flight attendant."

"I think what’s almost more poignant than that summer of 2019 was this summer when the Queen also extended an invitation to Harry and Meghan and the children to come and spend some time with her at the end of that summer," Nicholl claimed. "And they weren’t able to go. I would imagine that might well be a source of regret for Prince Harry."

Harry's lawyers said in court in February 2022 that their client was hesitant to return to the UK with the children because they feared for their safety. The 38-year-old wanted to take Archie, nearly 3, and Lilibet, 8 months, back to his native country from the US, but he thought it would be too dangerous without police protection. The prince had taken the UK government to court over its reluctance to allow him to pay for his own police security. Senior royals have police security paid for by the public. Unfortunately, the Sussexes no longer have that status because they gave up their working royal duties and relocated to the US.

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