Meghan reunited with Harry and in-laws after 'told' not to come to Balmoral

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, appeared on the Long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 10 to view flowers and tributes to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II after she had died at Balmoral on September 8.

The Duchess was accompanied by her husband, Prince Harry, and Prince William of Wales with his wife Catherine, the Princess of Wales. All seemed to be calm and the family was together again after an incredibly difficult week for all.

Reportedly, Meghan Markle had previously been 'told' by her father-in-law, King Charles, to not accompany Harry to Balmoral as the Queen was dying. What went on?

According to a report from Daily Mail, there was a 'frantic' half hour of discussions between the royals about who would be attending the late Queen's bedside on the day she passed away. The palace were reportedly 'incredulous' that Meghan would travel up to Scotland with Harry and there was a 'flurry behind the scenes'.

As the news broke of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s failing health in Balmoral, Scotland, the world held its breath. Not only were the British people listening to the news with a lump in their throats, but the family that Elizabeth had always been so proud of were urgently gathering and travelling to her bedside.

The Queen’s grandchild, Harry, and his wife Meghan, were already in Europe attending to charity events and immediately intended to travel to Scotland.

A spokesperson told Newsweek: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be traveling to Scotland.” Both of them. However, it seems this was either a mistake or plans changed quickly.

Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex had arrived at Balmoral Castle at 5:05pm local time, after landing at Aberdeen Airport approximately an hour previous. Princess Anne was already at the Queen’s side, having already been in Scotland for other business. Were the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their way?

Sadly, Harry did not make it in time to bid his own personal farewell to his grandmother. Royal expert Katie Nicholl told ET, "It's understood that the family wanted Prince Harry to be there, even though he was unable to get to Balmoral in time to see his grandmother…”

“…but Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was not, we understand, invited to join the family,” Nicholl continued. But what were the reasons for leaving her behind at such a time Harry would need the support of his wife?

Royal expert Katie Nicholl added, "She has said she will go to Balmoral another time, but I think it is quite significant that Prince Harry traveled to Balmoral on his own without his wife.”

In fact, controversy springs from a comment Harry made himself in April 2022 to US network NBC. The Duke said he wanted to make sure The Queen was ‘protected’ and had ‘the right people around her’.

Harry has previously commented on ‘breaking the cycle’ of ‘pain and suffering’ when referring to parenting. He wanted to make sure he didn’t pass it on, so could the reason for Meghan staying behind be rooted in deep tensions within the family?

The Sun reported that Harry was at Fromore Cottage when he received a phone call from his father, now the King, instructing his son to leave his wife, Meghan, behind. A source told the paper that 'Charles made it very, very clear Meghan would not be welcome.'

Prince William (who is now second in line to the throne) also travelled alone. His wife, Kate Middleton, was not in attendance at Balmoral when The Queen passed, she stayed behind to look after their three children.

The Princess of Wales had to pick up her three children from school and comfort them also in their loss. For Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, it was their first day at their new school in Lambrook.

In a Tweet that hastened to correct the previous news that both Harry and Meghan were travelling to Scotland, Omid Scobie wrote, 'Like the Duchess of Cambridge (who is in Windsor with their three children), the Duchess of Sussex is staying back in England (but still not attending tonight’s WellChild Awards).’

Not only was Kate staying behind, but the invitation list certainly didn't include many. The Sun's source stated, 'It was pointed out to him [Harry] that Kate was not going and that the numbers really should be limited to the very closest family.'

It is likely that Meghan’s husband, now fifth in line to the throne, informed his wife of the tragic news as he was travelling up to Balmoral.

The Queen’s grandchild and his wife have, as stated many times by the couple themselves, always had a warm relationship with The Queen. “We have a really special relationship,” Harry told The Today Show in April. “We talk about things she can't talk about with anyone else.”

“The Queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me. I mean, we had one of our first joint engagements together. She asked me to join her, and I went on the train. And we had breakfast together that morning and she gave me a beautiful gift and I just really loved being in her company,’ Meghan said in her Oprah interview in March 2021.

Despite the distance, Harry and Meghan were able to catch up with the Queen on several occasions. They called in for tea in April on their way to The Hague for the Invictus Games and were able to celebrate Elizabeth’s outstanding achievement of her Platinum Jubilee together.

Britain is currently experiencing 10 days of mourning and the Queen’s funeral will be a marked historic event. The Duke will be expected to attend and it is likely that Meghan will join him, but nothing has yet been confirmed.

So do these new photos of the Fab Four together mean they are grieving together, as a family? Will Harry see this as a chance to reunite and rekindle relationships with his brother, the future King? A royal insider told The Telegraph, 'It's quite hard to spend too much time with someone you know is about to publish a tell-all book about you.'