Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not been invited to the Royal Family’s summer gathering at Balmoral Castle this year, sources claimed today.
King Charles III has continued his late mother Queen Elizabeth II‘s tradition of travelling to the estate in the Scottish Highlands towards the end of summer.
But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet have not been given an invite for years, according to People magazine.
The news has not yet been confirmed by either party, and MailOnline has contacted representatives for Buckingham Palace and the Sussexes for comment today.
Other royals expected at Balmoral this year include Prince William and his wife Kate with their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
A source told Express.co.uk that the Waleses would be there, adding: ‘It will be a rather low-key affair this year where everyone will meet to just relax and unwind.’
+7
View gallery
Prince Harry and Meghan at the 2024 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on July 11
+7
Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands is much loved by members of the Royal Family
Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence are also anticipated to join the family at the gathering which is set to take place in mid-August.
But they are not expected to be joined by Harry, who has previously spoken about his love of Balmoral having spent much of his childhood at the retreat.
The Duke wrote in his memoir Spare: ‘To me, Balmoral was always simply Paradise. A cross between Disney World and some sacred Druid grove.
‘I was always too busy fishing, shooting, running up and down ‘the hill’ to notice anything off about the Feng Shui of the old castle.
‘What I’m trying to say is, I was happy there.’
However, Balmoral also has many sad memories for the Royal Family given it is where Elizabeth II died aged 96 in September 2022.
+7
View gallery
Prince Harry on the Balmoral estate with his father Charles and brother William in 1997
+7
View gallery
Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral on September 6, 2022, two days before her death aged 96
Harry had been in the UK at the time with Meghan when he received a phone call from Charles to say that his grandmother’s health was worsening.
The Duke then made plans to fly to the estate on a charter flight from London Luton Airport, but was asked by his father not to bring Meghan.
By the time his plane landed in Scotland though, he learned that the Queen had died by looking at the BBC News website on his phone.
Balmoral is currently open to the public for the summer before Charles and Queen Camilla arrive for their break.
Tickets for the guided tours, priced at £100 or £150 with afternoon tea, sold out withing 24 hours of going on sale with 40 people each day allowed to visit the royal residence from July 1 to August 4.
It comes amid a flurry of news about Harry and Meghan, who are set to visit Colombia for a tour later this year after accepting an invitation from the country’s vice president Francia Márquez – although the dates have not yet been confirmed.
+7
View gallery
Yesterday, CBS released a clip of Harry and Meghan in an interview about the safety of children online, which will be broadcast on the US channel’s Sunday Morning show
THIS SUNDAY: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex talk with Jane Pauley this Sunday about a new program supporting parents of children affected by online harm. Jane also interviews parents in the pilot program about its impact on their healing. pic.twitter.com/YNRMA86I65
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) August 1, 2024
Around the same time as the Colombia announcement yesterday, CBS released a clip of an upcoming interview with Harry and Meghan this Sunday about cyber safety for children, with the Duke saying parents have to be ‘first responders’.
And People magazine has run a number of articles this week using quotes from sources close to the Sussexes.
One of them saw friends of Harry claim the King is no longer answering his estranged son’s calls or responding to his letters as their rift deepens.
The Duke and Charles last saw each other in person in February when they met for 45 minutes in London following the monarch’s cancer diagnosis.
But sources close to Harry said their communication has worsened since amid growing tensions over the Duke’s battle for his security when in Britain.
The Duke is said to be ‘frightened’ about the safety of his wife Meghan and children Archie and Lilibet – and believes the King has the power to intervene in his ongoing court case with the Home Office .
+7
View gallery
King Charles III and Prince Harry, pictured at the Natural History Museum in December 2019
+7
View gallery
William, Harry, Meghan and Charles speak at Westminster Abbey in London in March 2019
Sources told People that the issue of security began as a point of frustration between father and son but has now developed into ‘complete silence’.
A friend of Harry’s said: ‘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.’
Decisions over the Duke’s security are made independently of the King by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which is part of the Home Office.
Harry last visited the UK in May to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, but could not meet his father during this recent trip.
The Duke’s spokesman said at the time that this was due to the King’s ‘full programme’.
The US magazine also quoted sources claiming Meghan wishes Harry ‘could let go of these lawsuits’ over their security because she wants the Duke to be ‘free’ and ‘live in the moment’.
The People report quoted a former employee of the Archewell Foundation, who said: ‘[Meghan] 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.’
