In 2022, the royal media made a big deal about how Queen Elizabeth extended invitations to the entire family, including the Sussex family, to visit her at Balmoral for what would be her final summer. At the time, the British media claimed that the Sussexes had rudely snubbed the invitation. We learned, more than a year later, that Harry actually wanted to bring Meghan and the kids to Balmoral but security could not be arranged. When QEII died, one of King Charles’s first acts was to ban the Duchess of Sussex from accompanying Harry to Balmoral. That was Harry’s last time at Balmoral. Last summer, Charles openly briefed the media that he had extended an invitation to the Sussexes to visit him at Balmoral, only I’m pretty sure that was another lie. Then Charles wanted Harry to come to Balmoral just before Harry traveled to Dusseldorf for the Invictus Games too, and that happened as Charles refused to let Harry stay at Windsor Castle for two nights. Well, the Balmoral games are still afoot.

King Charles is expected to invite Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Balmoral this summer but is certain they’ll decline, according to a royal expert. The monarch often spends the summer in Scotland and invites members of the Royal Family to join him. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made one trip to Balmoral before stepping down as senior working royals.

Royal author Tom Quinn has suggested Charles will extend an invitation to the couple, but said they’ll be unwilling to make the trip. He told The Mirror: “King Charles will issue the traditional invitation to Harry and Meghan to spend part of the summer at Balmoral, but safe in the knowledge that Harry and Meghan will make their excuses and decline.

“Relaxing at the 50,000-acre private estate might be just the place to let bygones be bygones, but Camilla will be dreading anything that threatens the calm her husband needs to continue his recovery from cancer.” Tom also suggested Harry’s feud with Prince William might prevent him from going. He explained: “Harry would love to see Kate and his expressions of concern for her are deeply felt but he knows that he can’t see Kate without seeing his brother so it’s not going to happen.”

Quinn previously suggested Meghan and Harry would decline an invitation to Balmoral after demanding an apology for the way they were treated during their time in the Royal Family. He told us: “Meghan and Harry feel that turning up at Balmoral will put them on the back foot as it’s very much Royal Home turf. And Meghan won’t want to go back on her public insistence that she will never return to the UK – she’ll only do it if she gets the apology she has always demanded, unless something really dreadful happens, either King Charles or Kate become gravely ill or even die. If that happens all bets are off.”

Harry spent a lot of his childhood in Balmoral and it’s believed Charles has “hinted” that Meghan and Harry should visit again this summer. Tom said: “According to people I’ve spoken to at Kensington Palace, King Charles has hinted to Harry and Meghan that they should come to Balmoral in the summer to see if something can be done about the ongoing feud in the family. Charles knows that Harry and Meghan are much more likely to respond positively to an invitation after the shock of Harry’s father’s cancer diagnosis and Kate’s cancer diagnosis. It’s one of those situations where good might just come out of bad.”

[From The Daily Mirror]

Considering that Charles once again refused to meet with Harry on Harry’s most recent visit earlier this month, I think it’s safe to say that Charles briefs one thing to the press and does something else entirely in private. There’s also this weird habit of royal communication – instead of Charles picking up a phone and actually extending invitations to his family, the palace briefs royal reporters and royal biographers about the invitations. Anyway, I hope the Sussexes have a pleasant summer in California!

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.