Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest reigning monarch, sadly passed away on September 8th at the age of 96.
Her death has brought to light various dynamics within the royal family, particularly concerning Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
In her new book titled “The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown,” author Katie Nicholl reveals that the Queen extended invitations to the Sussexes to visit her at Balmoral Castle, but they declined on two separate occasions.
Despite the tensions that arose following Harry and Meghan’s departure from their senior roles within the royal family, Queen Elizabeth II maintained a close relationship with her grandson and his young family.
According to Nicholl, the Queen enjoyed video calls with Harry, Meghan, and their two children, three-year-old Archie Harrison and one-year-old Lilibet Diana.
In early 2020, Meghan and Harry stepped down from their senior roles and relocated to North America.
Since then, they have only returned to the UK three times, briefly visiting in April for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations and later for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
However, there were moments when the Queen felt let down and disappointed by the Sussexes, as revealed by Nicholl during a recent episode of the “Today For” podcast.
Nicholl explained that the Queen would host a special weekend sleepover for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at the end of August.
She always made sure to invite Harry and Meghan, but they did not attend in the past couple of summers.
This absence during important family events, such as Christmas and the gatherings at Balmoral, deeply hurt the Queen.
It is worth noting that Harry and Meghan have not spent Christmas with the royal family since 2019 when they chose to celebrate the festive season in Canada with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland.
In January 2020, they announced their decision to step back from royal duties and move to the US.
Consequently, they declined the Queen’s invitation to spend the summer at Balmoral, according to sources.
Despite the attacks they faced, Prince Charles, Harry’s father, extended an invitation for the Sussexes to join him at Balmoral this summer.
However, they declined once again.
These reports emerged before Harry and Meghan’s visit to Europe, during which they collaborated with charities in the UK and attended the Invictus Games event in Germany.
However, following the Queen’s passing, they stayed in the UK and joined the other members of the royal family in mourning.
Harry traveled to Balmoral Castle immediately after the Queen’s death was announced to the public.
He reunited with his family, including his father and older brother, but returned to England the next morning.
This visit marked the first time he had been to the Scottish estate since his royal exit.
Nicholl reveals in her book that Harry had previously declined his grandmother’s invitation to spend time at Balmoral in 2019, months before announcing their departure.
The Sussexes’ decision to decline the Queen’s invitation in 2019 raised eyebrows.
Instead, they chose to take Archie to Ibiza and the south of France.
It seemed that playing happy families at Balmoral did not align with their narrative.
While Queen Elizabeth II was disappointed by their distance from the royal family, she still wanted to keep the family together, as Nicholl claims.
In conclusion, the dynamics between Queen Elizabeth II and the Sussexes have been complex.
Despite tensions and disappointments, the Queen maintained a close relationship with Harry and Meghan.
However, their decisions to decline invitations and distance themselves from the royal family have caused some strain.
Only time will tell if Harry and Meghan regret their choices or if they remain unaffected.