Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly been excluded from the royal family’s annual gathering at Balmoral Castle this summer.
The couple has been estranged from the royal family since quitting their roles to live abroad, and they have been sidelined from the family tradition for the second time in a row.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s exclusion from the summer retreat comes after the duke stated that he would not bring his wife and children to the UK due to security issues.
Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Not Invited For Balmoral Getaway
Harry and Meghan have been sidelined again for the royal family’s summer reclusion to Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
A source made the revelation to People magazine, noting that Charles will follow in his mother, Queen Elizabeth’s tradition of going there every summer but that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been excluded from his guest list.
The pair were invited by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, shortly before she died, but declined. Harry is quite familiar with the tradition as he grew up going there but it’s believed that Meghan has never experienced what the holidays looked like.
The Scottish Castle hosts the royal family every year when they recline from the public eye to spend time together, with outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, and horseback riding, which are said to be some activities they indulge in.
King Charles Didn’t Want Meghan Markle In Scotland
Reports were rife that a disagreement ensued between Harry and his father, King Charles, over the monarch not welcoming Meghan to Balmoral Castle at the time leading to Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
Elizabeth resided in the 50,000-acre castle when she was on her deathbed, and the then Prince of Wales reportedly told Harry he didn’t want Meghan to come to Scotland, resulting in Harry making the trip alone, per the Daily Mail.
Harry documented the episode in his 2023 bombshell memoir: “He [Charles] said I was welcome at Balmoral, but he didn’t want…her. He started to lay out his reason, which was nonsensical, and disrespectful, and I wasn’t having it. Don’t ever speak about my wife that way.”
He continued, “He stammered, apologetic, saying he simply didn’t want a lot of people around. No other wives were coming, Kate wasn’t coming, he said, therefore Meg shouldn’t. Then that’s all you needed to say.”
“By now it was midafternoon; no more commercial flights that day to Aberdeen. And I still had no response from Willy. My only option, therefore, was a charter out of Luton. I was on board two hours later,” he added.
Prince Harry Is More Concerned With His Family’s Security
The snub comes amid Harry and Meghan’s ongoing rift with the monarchy after they made several unsettling allegations against them in an interview with Oprah Winfrey and in Harry’s memoir, “Spare.”
The pair stepped back from their royal roles to pursue a more private life in Montecito, California, and shortly after, their tax-funded security protection was downgraded.
In a recent ITV documentary, “Tabloids on Trial,” Harry revealed that he’ll not bring the former “Suits” actress and their children to the country with everything currently happening.
“It’s still dangerous, and all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read,” he said, People. “And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
The Duke’s Calls To His Father ‘Go Unanswered’
Insiders in Harry’s camp believe Charles can step in and help him get back his police protection. However, the King has seemingly remained silent over the matter, which has further soured their relationship.
“He gets ‘unavailable right now. His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King’s health, but those calls go unanswered too,” Harry’s alleged friend told People.
They added that the Duke of Sussex “is frightened and feels the only person who can do anything about it is his father.”
Meghan Markle Wants Her Husband To ‘Let Go’ Of His Lawsuits
The father-of-two has been in a lengthy court battle with the Home Office for them to reinstate his tax-funded police protection for himself and his family, but insiders revealed that Meghan wants him to “let go” of it.
A former employee of the Sussexes’ Archewell Foundation told People that Meghan “supports Harry 100 percent, but she wishes he could let go of these lawsuits, be happy, and live in the moment.”
“She wants him to be free of all of this, but she also knows that because of everything he’s been through and his love for [her and their children], he can’t. She wants him to live in a world where he is not burdened by this,” the source added.
