Royal family
Reports are swirling that King Charles extended an olive branch by personally inviting to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to Balmoral. But an insider says that’s not the case.
Each year members of the royal family head to Scotland during the summer to begin their official holiday at Balmoral Castle. And every year since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from royal duties, many have wondered if they still receive an invite to the Scottish residence.
The pair were invited by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 shortly before she died, but declined. Now, there are reports that King Charles III has extended an invitation to the couple, but that apparently that isn’t the case as the new monarch is breaking with tradition and won’t be staying at the castle himself.
Prince Harry and Meghan did not receive personal invite from the king
Balmoral Castle is said to have been the late Queen Elizabeth’s favorite residence.
“I believe she chose to pass there, it was her favorite place to be. It’s a place where the royal family can get away from everything and be together as a unit,” King Charles’ former butler Grant Harrold explained.
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The late monarch has always invited her children and their children and their children’s children to stay with her at Balmoral during the summer months. But now that she is no longer here and given all that’s happened with the Sussexes over the last year, many are questioning if the king has invited them. While some outlets claim Charles has reached out to his youngest son and daughter-in-law to extend an invitation, royal expert Robert Jobson was informed that the king has not done so.
In Express Jobson revealed that an insider told him: “There is not much dialogue if any between the king and his second son.” Therefore, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “have been given an ‘open invite’ to join family gatherings by the Palace, but no personal olive branch has been extended by the king for the summer getaway.”
However, it’s almost certain that the Sussexes won’t be making the trip across the pond for a large family holiday anytime soon since relations between Harry and his brother, Prince William, are non-existent.
The new Prince of Wales will be staying at the castle with his family. Prince Edward and his wife Sophie as well as Princess Anne and their families, are expected to stay there as well. But King Charles and Queen Camilla (formerly known as Camilla Parker Bowles) will be staying elsewhere.
Where King Charles and Queen Camilla will be staying during their holiday in Scotland
Instead of staying and lodging with everyone else, the king and queen will be at their nearby private Birkhall residence. That means this year Balmoral Castle will be without a monarch in residence for the first time since the 19th century as Charles breaks with tradition.
According to the Daily Mail, Charles and Camilla will “decamp to the main castle for official visits from prime minister Rishi Sunak and other political representatives, but Birkhall will be their main base until the early autumn.”
As former royal butler Harrold shared, staying at the castle would have been very emotional for the king because it’s “the place where he said goodbye to his mother. It’s where she died and spent her last memories … that’s where his mother spent the last days of her life. So, there will be many emotions going through his head.”
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