According to a source from the Royal Family, King Charles III asked his son Harry not to bring  Meghan Markle  to the bedside of his grandmother –  Queen Elizabeth II  at Balmoral Castle (Scotland) in her final days.

Meghan Markle forced to be absent at Royal request

When they received news that the Queen had become seriously ill on September 8, 2022, Harry and Meghan Markle were in the UK. The couple immediately caused a stir when they announced that they would be going to Balmoral (Scotland).

Photo: PA Wire

Harry was reportedly at Frogmore Cottage in England when he received a call from his father. During the conversation,  King Charles III  made it clear that Meghan Markle’s presence at Balmoral was “inappropriate” at this time of mourning. He stressed that Princess Kate would not be attending either and that only her closest family members should be present.

Initially, the Sussexes’ spokesperson announced: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be travelling to Scotland.” However, this information surprised and displeased Buckingham Palace. After a tense half hour, their spokesperson had to quickly correct: “Currently, only the Duke is travelling.”

Photo: WireImage

Many have suggested that Harry and Meghan Markle were unaware that Kate would not be at Balmoral, and that they only realised the awkwardness of the situation when they were reminded. Others believe that Meghan Markle was actually deliberately kept out.

In his memoir  Spare , Harry wrote that his father’s reasons were “absurd and disrespectful”, but he was forced to accept them when King Charles III made it clear that “no wife” in the Royal Family was allowed to accompany him.

Ironically, Harry arrived too late. His private flight landed at 7:52 p.m., an hour and a half after Buckingham Palace announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Harry was also not invited to join the family group from RAF Northolt to Aberdeen. He said he had only learned from  BBC News that his grandmother had died and that his father had become king.

The image of family unity is just an illusion

Just a few days later, the public witnessed images of Harry and Meghan Markle with William and Kate walking outside Windsor Castle to meet people and lay flowers in memory.

On the surface, it was a moment of unity, but according to journalist Robert Jobson in his book  Our King , it was actually an “illusion.” Royal sources revealed that Princess Kate found it one of the most difficult things she had ever had to do, because the conflict between the two couples was still simmering.

Photo: Reuters

Harry and Meghan Markle will stay in the UK for nearly three weeks until the Queen’s funeral on September 19, 2022. During the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Meghan Markle was seen wiping away tears as she waited with Queen Camilla and Princess Kate, before joining her husband in the funeral procession.

After the “reconciliation conference” in July, when the media published images of Harry and Meghan Markle’s press secretary meeting with King Charles III’s communications secretary, many signs showed that the rift between the Sussexes and the British Royal Family was gradually being healed.

King Charles III is expected to meet Prince Harry again in September – for the first time in 20 months. Harry will also be in London in mid-September to attend the 3rd anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, and to take part in the WellChild Awards – a charity event he has always actively supported.