Meghan Markle was deliberately kept away from Queen Elizabeth II’s final moments, a decision that stirred controversy and highlighted the tensions within the royal family.
As Prince Harry rushed to Scotland to be with his grandmother in her final hours, Meghan remained behind—reportedly at the request of King Charles III. According to royal expert Robert Hardman, in his biography Charles III: New King, New Court, The Inside Story, the decision was in line with Kate Middleton’s own absence, as she stayed in England to care for her children. However, Harry later offered a different perspective in his memoir Spare, revealing his frustration over his wife being excluded.
He recounted how his father told him he was welcome at Balmoral, but Meghan was not. When pressed for a reason, Charles allegedly struggled to justify the decision, eventually claiming that other royal wives, including Kate, were also not attending.
Harry expressed his anger at the remark, stating that he firmly defended Meghan. He recalled telling his father, “Don’t ever speak about my wife that way.” Charles, according to Harry, then softened his tone and attempted to explain that he simply did not want too many people present during the queen’s final hours. The exclusion of Meghan only deepened the existing rifts within the royal family, fueling ongoing speculation about her fraught relationship with senior royals.
