Prince Harry delivered a furious eight-word remark after hearing King Charles had banned Meghan Markle from heading to Balmoral after the late Queen’s death.
As the world learnt of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, further tensions behind closed doors among the royals reportedly began to unfold.
Many members of the Royal Family began to arrive at the Scottish royal residence after the late Queen’s death on September 8, 2022. Harry claimed in his memoir Spare that while he had been invited by King Charles to spend time with the family, his father had explained to him that his wife the Duchess of Sussex was not welcome to Balmoral Castle in that moment of mourning.
King Charles and Princess Anne are said to have been the only two people at the late Queen’s side as she took her final breath on September 8 two years ago at 3.10pm.
Prince William arrived by car at Balmoral at 5.06pm that day, while Harry travelled to the castle separately and arrived after his brother.
A statement released on X at 1.53pm on the day the 96-year-old monarch died said both Harry and Meghan would be making their way to Balmoral as the late Queen’s health was declining.
However, in his memoir Spare, Harry recalled his wife didn’t accompany him to the Scottish estate.
Harry wrote in his book that he received a phone call from his father who, according to the prince, said that he “didn’t want” Meghan to be present.
In the book, Harry wrote: “He [King Charles] 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.”
In a eight-word remark, Harry that shared that he told his father: “‘Don’t ever speak about my wife that way.'”
Harry continued: “He stammered, apologetic, saying he simply didn’t want a lot of people around.
“No other wives were coming, [Princess] Kate wasn’t coming, he said, therefore Meg shouldn’t. Then that’s all you needed to say. By now it was midafternoon; no more commercial flights that day to Aberdeen. And I still had no response from Willy. My only option, therefore, was a charter out of Luton. I was on board two hours later.”
Royal expert Robert Jobson, speaking to the Daily Telegraph Australia, claimed after the death of the late Queen that King Charles had asked William not to bring Kate to Balmoral, so that Meghan couldn’t come. The expert said: “If Catherine doesn’t come, Meghan can’t either, it’s not appropriate for wives to attend.”