King Charles decided not to allow Meghan Markle to travel to Balmoral on the day of the late Queen’s death – and it seems Princess Kate helped placate the awkward situation.
According to royal author Rob Jobson, Charles told his second son Harry on the phone that Meghan should remain in London rather than accompany him to Scotland. “Prince Harry had decided to travel separately from his brother and the other senior Royal Family members,” Jobson wrote.”He took a private jet to Scotland, not getting there until just before 8 pm.
“Close sources said he had elected not to fly with his brother and uncles after a disagreement over Meghan not being allowed to join him. It emerged that when he insisted that his wife accompany him to Balmoral during a phone call with his father, Charles told him she could not come.” Indeed, Harry himself recalled his father’s phonecall in his tell-all memoir Spare, writing: “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.”
Harry said he retorted firmly to his father’s comments about Meghan, saying: “Don’t ever speak about my wife that way…He stammered, apologetic, saying he simply didn’t want a lot of people around. No other wives were coming, Kate wasn’t coming, he said, therefore Meg shouldn’t. Then that’s all you needed to say.” Princess Kate had already decided not to travel to Scotland with Prince William; he instead flew to Balmoral with his uncles Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, and Duchess Sophie.
Kate’s absence came as a surprise – she had forged a strong relationship with the Queen – and it was initially speculated that Charles might have played a part in her decision to stay at home. Not so, according to royal author Robert Hardman, who examined the final days of the Queen’s life in his book, Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story. He revealed that Kate herself made the difficult decision to stay at home to be with her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
The royal youngsters had their first day at their new school, Lambrook, on September 8, and Kate thought it was important for her to be there to support them. The Queen peacefully passed away at 15:10 on 8 September. Of her family members, only Charles, Camilla and Princess Anne were able to see her before she died. Fortuitously, the siblings were both already in Scotland, having carried out events in the country earlier in the week.
But only Anne was present when their mother slipped away. Charles had briefly stepped away from her bedside to clear his head and had gone out to gather mushrooms. He received the news that she had died as he was driving back to Balmoral when his most senior aide took a call. Charles pulled over and was addressed for the first time as ‘Your Majesty’ – signalling he was now King.
Buckingham Palace had announced at 12.50pm that Prince William , Prince Andrew , Prince Edward and Sophie had started to make their way to Scotland. Sadly, they were not in time. They landed at 3:50pm, 40 minutes after her death. With William at the wheel, they drove to Balmoral, arriving at 5.06pm. Prince Harry , meanwhile, left Luton airport onboard a private jet at about 5.30pm. He was still in the air when the announcement of the queen’s death was made at 6.30pm.
