Prince Harry reveals his scathing reply to King Charles after Meghan wasn’t invited to Balmoral

Prince Harry has revealed the cutting eight word reply he gave to King Charles, after he was told that wife Meghan Markle wasn’t invited to be with Queen Elizabeth II when she died. Harry was travelling to be with his grandmother at the time she passed two years ago in September 2022. But, as members of the royal family travelled to be with the Queen as her health deteriorated, Harry was told that his wife was not welcome.

On the way to Scotland to see his grandmother, the Queen, Harry told his father, then Prince of Wales that he wanted Meghan to be there with him too, to which, Charles reportedly told his son that he didn’t want his wife to come. Meghan didn’t end up accompanying her husband, with Harry flying to Aberdeen alone.

Prince Harry revealed in his memoir, Spare, that Charles phoned him while Harry was on the way, writing: “He [Charles] 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.”

Prince Harry says he had a simple, scathing reply to his father: “Don’t ever speak about my wife that way.”

He added: “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.”

The Queen passed away at Balmoral, described as her “happy place,” at 3.10pm, according to her official death certificate, but Harry only landed at nearby Aberdeen International Airport at 6.64pm.

The revelation on the hidden tension behind the scenes comes as Meghan Markle was seen this weekend giving a talk at her close friend Oprah Winfrey’s book club session in California. During her talk, Meghan’s children’s book The Bench, and Prince Harry’s autobiography Spare were displayed – in the ‘hometown heroes’ section of the shop, which celebrates local authors.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, King Charles, 75, and Queen Camilla, 76, marked the two year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death this past Sunday by attending a church ceremony near Balmoral , in memory of his mother.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also honoured the occasion by sharing a message on social media, writing: “Today marks two years since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II… The late Queen’s dedication to the UK and Commonwealth taught us that whatever challenges our country faces, the value of service always endures. For the 70 glorious years of her reign, she was at the heart of this nation’s life. Today we honour her memory.