King Charles III (73) has asked his son Prince Harry (37) not to bring his wife Duchess Meghan (41) to Balmoral Castle when he and other senior royals stood by the dying Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022).
It was kind of a happy coincidence that Harry and Meghan were in the country when the prince's grandmother passed away. Despite the conflicts of recent years - Meghan and Harry's public accusations against family members and the institution of the monarchy on US TV and the retirement as senior royals - and although no family reunion was planned at the Queen's summer residence, it was immediately said that Harry and Meghan were on the way to Scotland. In the end, however, only Harry flew to the family, Meghan stayed in her British home Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor site.
It has now been revealed that the Sussex couple changed their mind after Prince Harry received a call from his father at Frogmore Cottage asking him not to take Meghan with him. This reports "The Sun". Charles reportedly told Harry it was not right or appropriate for Meghan to be in Balmoral at such a sad time, a source told the newspaper. In addition, Harry was advised that Princess Kate (40), the wife of Prince William (40), is not traveling and that the number of visitors to the deathbed should be limited to the immediate family.
Exactly what happened is a matter of speculation. Some say Harry and Meghan hadn't considered that William's wife would not be there and instead Kate stayed in London to look after their three young children. Others believe Meghan was actually left out by arguing that Kate - now the Princess of Wales - would stay at home.
Only the monarch's two eldest children - Charles and Princess Anne, 72 - were present when the Queen passed away. Their other children, Andrew, 62, and Prince Edward, 58, flew in as soon as they could with Prince William, who is now first in line to the throne. Edward was accompanied by his wife Sophie, 57, who is adored by the Queen as a second daughter and was probably present at her request.
With that in mind, the words Charles addressed to Harry and Meghan in his first address to the nation on Friday night take on special meaning. "I would also like to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas," the king said in front of the public.
Meanwhile, it has also been revealed that Duchess Meghan has canceled several scheduled appearances in New York that were scheduled for the day after the Queen's likely funeral date. The Duchess of Sussex was scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, 47, on September 20, the same day she and Prince Harry were due to attend the UN General Assembly in Manhattan.
Meghan is also said to be planning to delay the release of the next episode of her podcast Archetypes. This was scheduled for next Tuesday on Spotify, as "Page Six" reports.
