Meghan Markle and Harry SNUB William, meet only Queen and Charles during secret UK visit
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle held a secret face-to-face meeting with the Queen and Prince Charles at Windsor Castle on Thursday as the couple made a pitstop in the UK en route to the Invictus Games in Holland. This was their first joint trip to the UK since they left royal duties in March 2020.
It comes only weeks after Harry declined to attend a Westminster Abbey memorial service for his grandfather Philip, though he did pledge to meet his grandma "as soon as possible." It's unclear if the couple's two-year-old son Archie and 11-month-old daughter Lilibet, whom the Queen has never met, were also present.
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According to Daily Mail, the couple arrived incognito and are believed to have stayed at Frogmore Cottage, the home they have kept on despite quitting the UK where Princess Eugenie and her family currently stay, overnight. They did not, however, meet Prince William and Kate Middleton.
A spokesperson for the couple confirmed to the media that they had indeed visited the Queen, but said nothing about a meeting with Charles as some British media reported. Harry’s relationship with his 73-year-old dad has suffered after he said he felt that both he and his brother, Prince William were “trapped” in their royal roles.
A busload of ecstatic well-wishers had seen them and the pair exchanged waves with the surprised onlookers who had gathered at Windsor for the annual Maundy Thursday service. "I couldn’t believe it when I saw who it was," one onlooker stated. "We waved and they waved back. They looked happy and relaxed and waved to everyone on the bus. Charles and the Queen were at Windsor Castle at the same time so they must have met them both."
The onlooker added, "It was quite the sight. We knew we might see Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at the ceremony but never believed we would bump into Harry and Meghan."
With a series of broadsides from across the Atlantic, the couple, who left royal duties for a life in the United States in 2020, has caused outrage. Harry is also suing the government for removing his armed bodyguards, stating that he "does not feel safe in the UK." However, Majesty Magazine's editor-in-chief, Ingrid Seward, said their visit to the UK would have been welcomed by all parties.
Seward said, "It is a wonderful opportunity to clear the air and offer an olive branch. After everything that has gone on it must have taken a lot for Harry and Meghan to go to Windsor. Also, Maundy Thursday is a very special day for the Queen as it is about forgiveness. She is not one to hold grudges and I think she would have happily welcomed them with open arms."
Harry and Meghan produced a slew of royal squabbles since then, including a shocking interview with Oprah Winfrey in March of 2021, in which a family member was accused of racism. The next month, Harry traveled alone to the United Kingdom for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral, while Meghan remained in the United States, pregnant with Lilibet.
After the ceremony at Windsor Castle, Harry was spotted speaking with his brother William and father Charles. However, he lambasted his father's upbringing weeks later, telling on a podcast that he brought his family to the United States to "break the cycle of pain." If Harry and Meghan stayed in the UK, Charles is said to have offered his protection and residence. Harry last saw William when he returned to the United Kingdom last summer for the unveiling of their mother Princess Diana's sculpture.
In July 2021, it was also revealed that he is working on an autobiography in which he plans to criticize Charles and his stepmother Camilla. Only until the scheme was made public did courtiers close to Charles learn of it. Then, in February of 2022, Harry stated in court documents that his family felt "unsafe" in the UK without armed security. The decision by the Home Office to remove Harry's taxpayer-funded Met Police bodyguards in 2021 was "unfair" and "unlawful," according to Harry.
Harry's lawyer, Shaheed Fatima QC, told the High Court that he wishes to visit his relatives in the United Kingdom. Fatima stated, "This claim is about the fact that the claimant does not feel safe when he is in the UK given the security arrangements that were applied to him in June 2021 and will continue to be applied to him if he returns. And, of course, it should go without saying that he wants to come back: to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart. Most of all, this is, and always will be, his home."
Both Harry and Meghan are expected to attend the Invictus Games opening ceremony in The Hague on April 15. Harry will stay in Holland for the week-long celebration for wounded troops, which he helped organize. Meghan will be with her husband for "a few days," with every action being videotaped by a Netflix team as part of their approximately $146 million arrangement. They've been advised they can't hire private armed bodyguards because they're classified as VVIPs in the Netherlands, which means they have five-star security.