When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle return to Britain for a short visit next week, it is very doubtful that they would pay the Queen a visit at Balmoral, a royal analyst said today, adding that the “family split is growing worse, not better.”
Tensions with the Royal Family have risen as a result of growing worries about what will be revealed in Harry’s upcoming biography and Meghan’s recent veiled criticisms of the family in her new Spotify podcast.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Home Office have an ongoing dispute about their security.
In an interview with MailOnline today, royal expert Phil Dampier said that he would be “quite shocked” if the Sussexes visited the Queen in Balmoral, where she is set to stay for the foreseeable future as fears about her mobility increase.
There isn’t much “goodwill on both sides,” he said, and the royals will be “wary” of Harry because of what may be in his book. A vacation to Scotland, according to Mr. Dampier, “would cause embarrassing familial conflicts for everyone.”
Germany and the UK visits by Harry and Meghan
The One Young World Summit, which brings together young leaders from more than 190 nations, will take place in Manchester on Monday, September 5. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will attend.
Wednesday, September 8: The Sussexes will return to the UK for the WellChild Awards in London after travelling to Germany on Tuesday, September 6 for the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 One Year to Go event.
The Daily Telegraph said that the Sussexes, who last visited Balmoral in 2018, do not have plans to visit the Highlands estate and that they are currently awaiting judgments on their security in the UK before determining whether to go in advance.
They will also be evaluated by a Home Office panel to see whether they are eligible for protection from the Metropolitan Police.
The Duke and Duchess will fly on September 5 from their residence in California to Manchester for the One Young World Summit, where Meghan will deliver the opening keynote speech.
On September 6, the pair will attend a celebration in Dusseldorf to celebrate a year till the Invictus Games.
On September 8, they will return to the UK for the WellChild Awards in London, where Harry, a longtime supporter of the organisation, will deliver a speech.
Archie and Lilibet Sussex are anticipated to stay with their parents in California.
They might go see relatives since they don’t have any formal commitments on September 7—at least, none that have been publicised as of yet.
Mr. Dampier, though, told MailOnline that he would be “extremely astonished” if Harry and Meghan paid a visit to the Queen at Balmoral.
Even though it should go without saying that they would be safe within the grounds of the Castle, they nonetheless have recurring concerns about their security when throughout the nation.
They already have a busy schedule, so it would be difficult for them to squeeze in. But more than anything, I simply don’t feel like there is much goodwill on both sides right now.
Harry would normally wish to meet both his father and his grandmother, but Prince Charles and other royals are now up in Scotland.
I worry that the family divide is growing worse rather than better since these are not regular times. Meghan made subtly critical remarks about the royal family in a recent podcast, which didn’t help. Naturally,
Harry’s book hangs over the family like a foul odour. The royals will always be afraid of him since they never know what he would write in his book.
If Harry and Meghan really wanted to mend fences, they would put the book down and stop bringing up the royal family in public.
However, they seem committed to continuing for whatever reason. Although that makes me extremely sad, I don’t see a remedy anytime soon.
The Queen has said that they are welcome to see her at any time and refers to them as “much cherished members of the family.” But I’m sure she’s not pleased with them in private.
Everyone’s families will experience embarrassing familial conflicts from a trip to Scotland, and I’m not sure that anybody needs that right now.
Queen ‘very grieved’ by more than a thousand flood fatalities in Pakistan
The Queen has expressed her “great sadness” about the extensive floods this summer in Pakistan that has resulted in more than a thousand fatalities.
33 million people have been affected by the country’s unusually severe monsoon rains, which also caused flash floods that destroyed almost one million dwellings.
There have reportedly been at least 1,061 fatalities.
“I am profoundly grieved to learn of the dreadful loss of life and devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan,” the Queen said in a letter to Arif Alvi, the president of the nation.
“My sympathies are with everyone who has been impacted, as well as with those who are toiling under trying conditions to aid in the recovery operations.”
As Pakistan recovers from these horrible tragedies, the United Kingdom stands with you.
Elizabeth R. signed the note, which Buckingham Palace made public.
According to Pakistani officials, the destruction is greater than in 2010, when floods claimed 1,700 lives.
The pair is anticipated to spend the most of their stay in the UK the following week at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, much as when they visited England in June and maintained a low profile.
Harry, 37, last visited his 96-year-old grandmother for her Platinum Jubilee, spending just around 15 minutes with her, according to reports.
During a covert meeting with Prince Charles and the Queen in April while on route to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games in The Hague, he and Meghan also paid a visit.
The Duke seemed to take a dig at members of the royal household staff, particularly the alleged “guys in grey suits” who counsel the Queen, during an interview with NBC after this trip, saying that he wants to make sure his grandmother has “the appropriate people around her.”
In light of recent developments, it has been stated that Prince William and Harry would not commemorate Diana’s death on Wednesday as a unit, either in public or privately.
The Queen often retreats to her Highlands estate in August and September, when she is sometimes joined by other family members.
Among those who have already visited this year are William, Kate, and their children, Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4.
Balmoral has had a number of alterations in recent years, including the installation of a wheelchair-accessible elevator in 2021 at her Craigowan Lodge.
The castle was purchased by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in 1852 for £32,000, and ever since, it has served as the royal family’s Scottish residence. In the middle of July, she generally comes to the estate.
In addition, The Mail on Sunday claimed yesterday that the Queen is “seriously evaluating” whether she will be able to participate in the Braemar Games the following weekend.
This is because of growing fears about her mobility.
The Highland Games are often a high point in the monarch’s calendar since the Queen and the current prime minister frequently attend.
This year’s tournament will include tug-of-war and caber-tossing matches amongst competitors in front of an audience for the first time since the epidemic began.
The Queen is eager to go if her health permits her, according to a source. On July 21, as she took a flight to Aberdeen Airport to start her yearly vacation in Balmoral, she was last saw in the open.
The insider continued, saying that over the last two weeks, Her Majesty has enjoyed having “family guests” stay at her Scottish estate, including “many of the great-grandchildren.”
The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise and Viscount James have also visited, as have the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children Princes George, Louis, and Princess Charlotte. The Prince of Wales is allegedly paying the Queen daily visits.
According to the source, Prince Andrew was also at Balmoral and was eager to talk to the Queen about the possibility of creating a new professional position for himself inside the Royal Family.
Another insider noted that the Queen’s mobility had changed “in the previous three weeks,” which indicated that she was “resting” much more.
The 96-year-old is probably going to admit that she won’t be able to go to London any longer to choose a new prime minister. The Queen was expected to proceed to Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace to use her “personal prerogative”—inviting a new leader to establish a government.
Her current health, however, “may make it improbable,” according to a reliable source. This week, the choice will be made public. However, the nine-mile travel to Braemar for the games the next weekend may still be feasible.
According to reports from July, Her Majesty instructed the royal servants to get ready and invited the couple and their two children, Archie, age three, and Lilibet, age one, to stay at her Scottish home.
The Sussexes wouldn’t have to interact with other royals like Charles and William, it was said.
An individual with knowledge of Balmoral previously informed The Sun and Page Six that the staff had been instructed to anticipate the complete royal family, including Harry, Meghan, and their kids. They’re getting ready for the Sussexes.
According to another source, “I would be astonished if they did turn up.”
However, the Telegraph has subsequently stated that insiders said a visit to the Queen is not expected but that there may be other unforeseen commitments.
Harry said it was wonderful to finally meet his grandma at Windsor Castle in April.
It was incredibly lovely to see her in a private setting. Being with her was wonderful, and it was wonderful to see her in such good shape.
She always has a fantastic sense of humour with me, and all I’m doing is making sure she’s safe and surrounded by the appropriate people.
It was great to catch up with her over tea, and Meghan and I did the same. We have an extremely unique bond and discuss topics that she is unable to discuss with anybody else.
Tom Bower, a royal author, said at the time that he thought Harry was addressing Sir Edward Young, the Queen’s personal secretary, as well as the Duke’s father Prince Charles and brother Prince William, with whom he has a running argument.
The Duke of Cambridge, 40, and the Duke of Sussex, 40, have decided to stop holding public memorials to Diana and will honour their mother this week by spending time with their own families.
Since they presented a monument of their late mother, the Princess of Wales, this summer, the two have not talked in person.
For the highly anticipated unveiling of the monument honouring Victoria in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, her old London residence, they temporarily put their tense relationship aside.
William and Harry created a memorial garden at Kensington Palace, took part in a documentary, and donated items to an exhibition in 2017 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Diana’s passing.
The 25th anniversary of Diana’s passing will occur on Wednesday, but the brothers will mourn in private to mark the tragic event, according to the Telegraph.
However, Prince Harry stated last week that he wanted the day to be remembered for both her amazing work and the way she went about doing it.
‘I want it to be a day to share the spirit of my mom with my family, with my children, who I wish could have met her. Every day, I aspire to make her proud.’
Later this month, the Duke of Cambridge and his family will relocate from Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage, which is only a 10-minute walk from Windsor Castle.
If the Sussexes remain at their house, Frogmore Cottage, will only be a short five-minute walk from the Cambridges, who will be only 800m away when they move to Adelaide in the next few weeks.
It will be the first time the two couples have been neighbours since Prince Harry and Meghan moved out of Kensington Palace in 2019.
However, a source reportedly stated that the Sussexes have no plans to meet the Cambridges and that their visit will be devoted to “supporting several charities close to their hearts.”
Harry allegedly “slammed the phone down” on Prince William, according to a French documentary, after being presented with witness accounts that paint Meghan as a ruthless bully of female staff.
In reaction, William – ‘who already didn’t like his sister-in-law very much’ – grew so enraged at his brother’s insistence on sheltering his wife from criticism that he hopped in a vehicle ‘towards Kensington Palace to go and face Prince Harry’.
The startling charges are included in a documentary by the most popular TV news station in France.
BFM TV shows emails – released as part of the Duchess of Sussex’s privacy action against the Mail on Sunday – in an investigative documentary series dubbed ‘Red Line: William and Harry, the enemy brothers’.
It says that devastated personnel quit from the Royal Household and established up a WhatsApp group named ‘The Sussex Survivors’ Club’. The documentary is slated to be out next week.
Diana died in a Paris vehicle tragedy on August 31, 1997, at the age of 36 – when William was 15 and Harry 12.
While both realise the historical importance of the anniversary, and the fact that millions throughout the globe are anxious to honour the date, it is a far more personal milestone for them.
According to their friends, they are both still very upset that their mother has been absent from their life for a longer period of time than she has been there for and that she has missed seeing the birth of her first grandchildren.
Other royal news includes the rumour that Harry’s much awaited book may not be released until next year, according to US celebrity gossip website Page Six.
The publishing date of the tell-all book by the Duke of Sussex is reportedly “up in the air” and was previously scheduled to arrive in time for Christmas.
Page Six was informed by a source that industry insiders had anticipated a November release date. “I’ve heard Harry has some truth bombs in his book that he’s pondering whether or not to include,” they said. Therefore, if he needs more time to work on the book, this [delay] is not surprising.
Harry’s “literary memoir” will be published in late 2022, Penguin Random House, Harry’s publisher, revealed last year.
He would be giving the “definitive account” of his life for the first time, according to the statement. Buckingham Palace is concerned that Harry may use the biography to settle score with former adversaries.