BREAKING NEWS: Prince Harry called Balmoral invite ‘disrespectful’ for major reason
Prince Harry was previously invited to join the family at Balmoral as the late Queen’s health declined.
The invitation came in September 2022, just hours before the late Elizabeth II’s passing. Harry was in the U.K. with his wife, Meghan Markle, at the time, fulfilling various professional obligations.
In his memoir Spare, Harry described how King Charles had updated him about his beloved grandmother’s condition – before extending an invitation to see her at the cherished Scottish residence. Harry then characterized the invitation as “disrespectful” as he was requested to attend alone, without his wife.
Harry wrote, “It was Pa. Granny’s health had taken a turn. She was up at Balmoral, of course. Those beautiful, melancholy late-summer days.
“He hung up – he had many other calls to make – and I immediately texted Willy to ask whether he and Kate were flying up.
Prince Harry was invited to the Balmoral estate in 2022 (Image: GETTY)
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“If so, when? And how? No response. Meg and I looked at flight options. The press started phoning; we couldn’t delay a decision any longer. We told our team to confirm: We’d be missing the WellChild Awards and hurrying up to Scotland.
“Then came another call from Pa. He 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.”
The King then assured Harry that “no other wives were coming [along]”, including Princess Catherine. The visit was the last time Meghan traveled to the U.K., prior to her trip last month.
On July 10, Meghan, Harry, and their children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, had a top-secret reunion with the 77-year-old monarch and Queen Camilla, 79, after four years. The private meeting took place at Highgrove House, Charles’ country residence, according to Buckingham Palace.
While Charles made efforts to keep the meeting as secret as possible, royal commentators have continued to speculate on its details.
Now, reports are claiming that Charles and Camilla were left fuming after Meghan allegedly broke an agreement not to share details of their U.K. visit on social media. Camilla reportedly said she didn’t want any social media posts about Harry and Meghan’s visit to the U.K.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry left the U.K. in 2020 (Image: Getty)
However, Meghan later shared photos from the Sussexes’ visit to Althorp, the late Princess Diana’s ancestral home and final resting place, in a carousel post captioned, “Summer Holiday.”
Despite the post having nothing to do with the reunion itself, insiders now claim that Camilla feels slighted by Meghan’s blatant disregard for her rule.
“Camilla’s words appear to have fallen on deaf ears,” a palace insider reportedly told New Idea. “She feels that she was clear about no social media posts, and if Meghan thinks Althorp was an exception, she was very wrong.”
Charles reportedly agrees with Camilla and is allegedly wondering whether the social media post throws their trust in Harry and Meghan into question. It was previously claimed that Camilla thinks it’s a “grave mistake” to let the couple back into the Royal Family’s good graces.
Another insider previously told the outlet, “The family doubts that Meghan will be able to stick to this agreement, but Harry and Meghan are well aware this is a ‘test of their loyalties,’ and if they wish to continue being royals, it has to be in the King’s interests.”
Now, the insider claimed, the social media post has put any potential Christmas invitation at risk.
“Charles is extremely disappointed. He was told by everyone, including William, that Harry and Meghan wouldn’t be able to keep their traps shut, but he still opened up the doors for this reunion,” they noted.
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“He wants Harry back home where he belongs, but this isn’t the Harry he once knew. Now the family is dead against inviting the Sussexes back for Christmas,” the source added.
Meanwhile, as Charles and Camilla’s trust in Harry and Meghan is up in the air, former royal butler Grant Harrold claims it is likely they’re keeping a “close eye” on Meghan in case she chooses to jeopardize the fragile trust she has with them.
Speaking on behalf of Vettory, Harrold – who worked for King Charles between 2004 and 2011 and also served Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Harry – told the Express US, “Anything Meghan Markle does going forward will affect the Royal Family, and they will be keeping a close eye on her.
He continued, “If she uses her title in any of her business ventures, it will be frowned upon, especially when it comes to making money.”
Harrold added, “However, if she uses her title for her charity work, they won’t have an issue with it. There will only be a problem if she uses it for her personal brand. The late Queen was very, very clear about this point when negotiating the terms of ‘Megxit’ back in 2020.”
The former royal butler added that Meghan has a lot to lose if she suddenly uses her royal titles in her business endeavors.
He explained, “If she uses her royal title in ways they deem unacceptable, she’s at risk of breaking her in-laws’ trust yet again – and I don’t know how many more times this can happen before they cut ties completely.”
There’s also one royal Harrold believes is waiting for Meghan to slip up. He said, “I imagine William is living on edge, just waiting for something else to happen. It’s possible that she will distance herself more if she continues with the kind of appearances and business ventures we have seen in the past few years.”
