Why Meghan Markle was ‘unwelcome’ at the late Queen’s death

Meghan Markle was “unwelcome” to join the royal family on the day Queen Elizabeth passed away, a new book has claimed. 

In his book Betrayal, published last Thursday, Tom Bower describes the events of 8 September 2022, and details the late Queen’s final moments. The Sussexes have hit back at the claims in the book, accusing the author of “fixation” and “crossing a line”. 

That morning, the author writes, Charles had been informed by a telephone call that his mother was seriously ill and immediately travelled by helicopter to Balmoral Castle, her beloved residence in Scotland, where she retreated during her final weeks.  

He telephoned both his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, with the news, advising them to head to Northolt airport in West London, where a jet would be waiting to take them to Scotland.  

But back in Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, deliberated, the author claimed. He also wrote of Charles’s reaction when he found out the Duchess of Sussex planned to join her husband to travel north.

Why was Meghan not welcome?

Tom Bower writes: “When Charles heard that Meghan intended to come, he called Harry. That was unacceptable, said Charles.“

Later, he explains the reason why her presence was “unwelcome”, claiming that Meghan had “refused” the Queen’s invitations to visit at Balmoral.

He says: “Since Meghan had refused the Queen’s invitations to Balmoral in the Queen’s lifetime, she was unwelcome at her death. Sharing his grief with Meghan, who maligned the monarchy, was unthinkable, said Charles. He believed that, to her dying day, his mother was shocked by Harry’s disloyalty.” Harry was “outraged” by the reaction, the author claimed. 

“Charles ended their argument by revealing that Kate would not be coming, so Meghan had not been picked on,” Bower added. “Still fuming, Harry discovered that William, who was unwilling to wait any longer, had ordered the plane to take off.”

Reports in 2019 speculated that Harry and Meghan did not visit the Queen at Balmoral that year as their son, Prince Archie, was only four months old. However, this was never confirmed. 

© Chris Jackson

The late monarch passed away on 8 September 2022, aged 96, with “old age” listed as the official cause of death. Her funeral, attended by Harry and Meghan, was held on 19 September that year. 

A controversial royal book

Betrayal: Power, Deceit And The Fight For The Future Of The Royal Family explores the “split” between the Houses of Sussex and Windsor, examining the potential causes of the rift between Prince William and Prince Harry.

© Getty Images

Passages from the book include claims that the Queen urged Harry not to rush his marriage to Meghan, and an exploration of the tense relationship between Harry and his uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. 

In a statement issued on Saturday, 14 March, in response to the book, a spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan said: “Mr Bower’s commentary has long crossed the line from criticism into fixation. This is someone who has publicly stated, ‘The monarchy in fact depends on actually obliterating the Sussexes from our state of life,’ language that speaks for itself.

“He has made a career out of constructing ever more elaborate theories about people he does not know and has never met. Those interested in facts will look elsewhere; those seeking deranged conspiracy and melodrama know exactly where to find him.”