Meghan Reportedly May Not Have Been "Warmly Welcomed" At The Queen's Death

On Sept. 8, Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after serving 70 years as the British monarch. Shortly after Buckingham Palace announced she was under medical supervision earlier in the day, BBC reported members of the royal family — including King Charles and Prince William — traveled to Balmoral. The publication also noted Prince Harry was on his way to see his grandmother; however, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton reportedly did not join them.

According to a Twitter thread by British journalist Omid Scobie, a source clarified that Prince Harry made the trip alone. Scobie said Meghan stayed in London and would not appear at the WellChild Awards charity event she and Harry were scheduled to attend the evening of Sept. 8. Details surrounding her decision to stay in London has not yet been publicly revealed.

It wasn’t long until speculations arose as to why Meghan would not appear in Scotland. According to The Daily Beast, BBC’s royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said during a broadcast that Meghan “might not be terribly warmly welcomed, to be perfectly candid about it.”

Then, a royal expert for Vanity Fair addressed Meghan’s absence in a similar fashion. On Sept. 8, Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight that Meghan may not have been invited to travel to Scotland alongside the royal family. “Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was not, we understand, invited to join the family,” she said. Nicholl also added that Meghan will visit Balmoral “another time,” but those details have not yet been publicized or confirmed.

Witchell’s notion isn’t too farfetched, considering Prince Harry and Meghan are largely estranged from the royal family. In February 2022, the duo announced their departure from their roles as working royals and later revealed their headline-making experiences with the royal family and Buckingham Palace officials in an interview with Oprah.

Scobie also reported Kate stayed behind in England alongside her children with Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. According to Page Six, the children started their first day of the school year the morning of the Queen’s death.

Both royal couples released statements about Queen Elizabeth II’s death on social media. Prince Harry and Meghan issued a tribute on their Archewell website. The duo wrote, “In loving memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022.”

A statement was also issued on Prince William and Kate’s official Instagram account, alongside a black-and-white photo of the late monarch. “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” the caption read.

As of now, official details for the Queen’s funeral have not been publicly confirmed.