Telegraph: Prince Harry was told it was ‘protocol’ to not bring Meghan to Balmoral

Again, in the 72-hour period of Queen Elizabeth II falling ill, passing away and King Charles taking over, the institution of the monarchy was almost solely focused on smearing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. QEII passed away on a Thursday. All of the biggest headlines on Thursday, Friday and Saturday were about how Prince Harry had to charter a plane up to Balmoral, how Meghan didn’t travel with him, how Charles called Harry to berate him over his plan to fly up with Meghan, how Charles told Harry that Meghan was unwelcome, how palace aides were furious and aghast that Harry would want to travel with his beloved wife. It was one of the grossest, most ridiculous and ill-timed smear campaigns – instead of focusing solely on QEII and her legacy, we were getting endless leaks from two royal courts, William’s court and Charles’s court. Those two men were bizarrely focused on the Sussexes rather than QEII.

At some point, William and Chuck realized that their messy campaign actually looked grotesque and cruel, so then they changed tack and tried to play it like Harry insulted them by not dining with them. Nevermind the fact that absolutely NO ONE can get their stories straight about who told what to Harry and when, and we still don’t know if Charles actually informed Harry about QEII’s passing before the family announced it. Well, now the Telegraph has an exhaustive timeline of events and guess what? They can’t even figure out parts of what happened that day, September 8th. Some highlights:

The Sussexes were enjoying that trip before the news about QEII: The Sussexes were fresh from a one-day trip to Dusseldorf on Tuesday, considered by their team and fans to be a triumph. Photos showed a rapturous welcome for a red-carpet walkabout. They looked happy and relaxed. The security arrangements seemed to go without a hitch, with the bonus of a Luftwaffe jet to and from the UK to prove their point about being internationally important persons. They even managed to squeeze in some “private” events, including an on-stage interview starring both Harry and Meghan, with a host and microphones, in the middle of a spotlit football stadium. (“Does ‘private’ now just mean ‘you’ll have to watch it on Netflix?’ ” one journalist was heard to quip, after footage emerged on social media.)

Charles didn’t seem to know about QEII’s health on Wednesday night: If some members of the family had known that the Queen’s health had taken a downturn the night before, Harry had not received that call. Prince Charles was hosting a dinner at Dumfries House, seemingly unaware that anything was badly amiss. The Duchess of Cornwall was making her way painstakingly back to Scotland from engagements down south, via Heathrow delays.

How much time did Charles wait in between calling William & Harry? Prince Charles telephoned both Prince William and Prince Harry to ask them to come. “There was no difference in those calls,” one source insisted, denying reports that the elder was told “some time” before the younger. “This is a father and his much-loved sons.”

Kate staying behind in Windsor: The Duke of Cambridge, whose constitutional duties as one of the Queen’s Counsellors of State blended with his role as a grandson, made a hastily-formed plan with the Duchess, agreeing that she would be best placed to meet their three children from their first full day at their new school and explain what was happening in a way they could understand.

Meghan was forced to stay home because Kate was staying back: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be travelling to Scotland,” their spokeswoman said, a little before 2pm. As it happened, she would not go. The confusion, The Telegraph understands, was the result not of a pushy Duchess and in-laws who didn’t want her there, but logistics. Assuming the situation to be not unlike what would have happened had the Queen died while Harry was in California, their team thought she would fly with him for support. By the time Prince Harry spoke to his father again, it became clear that spouses, including the Duchess of Cambridge, were not going. “It was just a mistake,” said a source familiar with how the day unfolded. “This wasn’t about causing or taking offence, it was simply the protocol and they [the Sussexes] were always going to respect that.” “The lie of the land was made clear,” said another, simply.

When & how did Harry hear of QEII’s passing? Prince Harry, on a plane, was initially said to have found out that his grandmother had died via a phone call from his father, “five minutes” before landing. The Telegraph has since been told that the phone call did not go through. While he knew his father was trying to get in touch with him, it was said last night, the Prince read a breaking news announcement online before they could work the technology to speak. A spokesman for the now-King has insisted the announcement of the Queen’s death “was not made until all family members had been informed”. “The official announcement was delayed until after everybody had been told,” a source said. “Part of the issue was getting hold of the Duke of Sussex.”

Whether Harry refused a dinner invitation: In one account – staunchly denied by several people yesterday – a furious Prince Harry “snubbed” dinner at his father’s nearby home at Birkhall with the new King and Prince of Wales. In another, Princes Charles and William had already left for Birkhall by the time Harry arrived. “No invitation to dinner was made,” one source insisted. “This is all less co-ordinated and more chaotic than people might think,” a different royal source added candidly. “It was a hard and upsetting day for everyone.”

[From The Telegraph]

“By the time Prince Harry spoke to his father again, it became clear that spouses, including the Duchess of Cambridge, were not going.” For the last time, the Countess of Wessex was there. Sophie traveled in the same plane and same car as William, Andrew and Edward. Initially, the palace sources made a big deal about how Meghan should have known that it was “family only,” as if Harry isn’t her family, as if she isn’t mother to two of King Charles’s grandchildren. This whole idea that there’s any kind of g–damn “protocol” about which spouses count as family and which spouses don’t count as family is absurd, offensive and racist. In any case, it’s absolutely clear from the smears aimed at Harry and Meghan that the entire controversy was actually about William and Kate, and how Kate got left behind in Windsor. If Meghan had gone with Harry to Balmoral, the conversation would have been “so why didn’t Kate go?” Nevermind that Kate genuinely had a good excuse – it was her kids’ first day of school, of course she would want to be with her children. But it looks like William threw a huge tantrum about how his brother’s supportive, loving marriage would reflect poorly on his own cold, stilted marriage.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

78 Responses to “Telegraph: Prince Harry was told it was ‘protocol’ to not bring Meghan to Balmoral”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. equality says:

    The part of this I believe considering the efficiency of palace staff and the royals is that things were unco-ordinated and chaotic. And, apparently “journalists” in the UK still don’t comprehend what the word “private” means.

    • anne says:

      As a former journalist for a major network, I call BS on this “journalist” quote: “Does ‘private’ now just mean ‘you’ll have to watch it on Netflix?’ ” one journalist was heard to quip, after footage emerged on social media.”

      Anyone who works in journalism would not call a taped interview a “private event.” And if the interview is going to be part of their Netflix doc, then yes, you will have to watch it on Netflix. That’s how taped interviews work.

      P.S. Real journalists know what “private/privacy” mean.

    • DouchesOfCambridge says:

      London bridge down was a very curated plan, they even had operation unicorn should she die in Scotland. So the whole team knew what Charles was gonna eat that night because everything is well thought of but what they didnt know was that Harry was gonna be in Europe with Meghan when the Queen died. It fckd up the whole machine lol The plan was for them to be in california! The plan was for Harry to leave them behind and come solo! Meg was never planned! They didnt have an xtra ubereats ordered for her that’s why. Bunch of pro clowns.

  2. SarahLee says:

    This is all just so bizarre. The Windsors continue to talk talk talk about this, and every time they try to clarify, they just come off looking worse. No one is commenting that Sophie was there. Plus, I think Kate and William absolutely made the right call for their children – so that Kate could tell them and be the one to comfort them. And I seriously doubt Harry was throwing some sort of fit – he just wanted to get to his grandmother.

    • Yvette says:

      At least they’ve stopped trying to justify/explain why William didn’t go by Frogmore to collect his brother for the RAF plane ride to Scotland. Thank goodness the whole ‘Harry had a temper tantrum over not being able to bring Meghan and refused to ride with other family members’ line isn’t being pushed any more.

      The real onus was on William to check on and facilitate his brother’s travel to Scotland. I mean, he obviously coordinated with Andrew and Edward or they wouldn’t have all been on the plane, along with Sophie.

  3. Pinkosaurus says:

    OMG they are all terrible at this. How on earth do they reflect well on Britain and the Commonwealth?

    • CKB says:

      It’s stunning how incompetent the royals and their staff are. Totally incapable of staying on message. They are shockingly tone-deaf to what people’s perception of their behavior will be. And they are just oblivious to how petty and mean the look. I’ve never seen such incompetence.

  4. Talie says:

    We’ll know soon enough from Harry’s own mouth in interviews he does to promote the book, but if he really learned of her passing after the prime minister and from an online source…that’s dark. Far worse than I would’ve imagined. It’s also unexplained why the plane carrying William, Andrew, etc. idled for so long before take off. Were they arguing about taking Harry? Were they also trying to get more info about what was happening? It sounds like Charles was trying to craft a narrative about who could be at The Queen’s bedside at her passing…him and Anne, it seems.

    • Laura says:

      Maybe the plane idled so long because they were waiting for Harry, but Harry refused to ride with his gross, pervy uncle? I wouldn’t blame him for not wanting to ride in the plane with that guy…

  5. Rapunzel says:

    I’m sure Harry’s first thought was “Grandmother’s dying and you’re worried about protocol?” He probably was more bewildered that banning Meghan was even on anyone’s mind at the moment the queen was dying. He and Meghan probably didn’t care too much about whether she went, but were shocked at the pettiness. And if it delayed Harry, that was just mean.

    • molly says:

      I’ve always believed that Charles (and now William)’s downfall is that they can’t NOT be Prince of Wales at all times. He can’t just be a dad or a grandpa or a regular person in times that require regular people emotions or actions. (See also: Diana death, Queen) It’s always royal optics and protocol and duty.

      And honestly, I don’t entirely blame Charles for being that way. He was raised to be nothing other than The Heir. And likewise, I don’t blame Harry for desperately wanting Charles to be a dad or grandpa or regular person in times like these. He can’t/won’t, and I hope Harry’s come to terms with that.

  6. Snuffles says:

    “While he knew his father was trying to get in touch with him, it was said last night, the Prince read a breaking news announcement online before they could work the technology to speak.”

    So the technology worked enough for Harry to have access to the internet, but not for the phone to work? Is that what they are going with?

    • Amy Bee says:

      Apparently.

    • Eurydice says:

      Yeah, that struck me.

    • Ginger says:

      The palace has no idea how dumb they sound.

      And again, they didn’t want everyone to speculate why William didn’t want Kate there so Meghan was banned. That is the big story. I know it’s the kids first day of school, but let’s not pretend that their nanny does a majority of the work and the drop offs for school. This was the Queen dying, Kate really should have been there.

      • MsIam says:

        I agree. And who would have questioned the excuse of Kate staying home with the kids anyway? Even with nannies there she’s still the mother. I think it was a case of William not wanting Kate there and Kate pitching a fit after it was announced Meghan was going. Or William not wanting Meghan to come and him pitching a fit after it was announced she was coming.

    • Shawna says:

      If Harry really heard from the internet … god that’s really sad.

    • PunkPrincessPhD says:

      @Snuffles: I mean, Charles apparently has trouble “working the technology” behind a fountain pen, so this tracks.

  7. Belli says:

    Protocol is such a bullshit thing to hide behind. Nowhere is it written down that royal spouses can’t be in the same palace when a monarch does.

  8. girl_ninja says:

    Protocol. Protocol. Protocol!!!!!

    Do the royal rats think if they say Protocol enough to cover cruelty and lies that it will make their bullshit true? It’s not like Candyman you bums. You can’t say it three times and Charles and Camillia and the Lazy Keens will come out.

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      girl_ninja, you know what’s the best part of their “protocol” excuse? That it makes the brf look even more out of touch. There’s a protocol to exclude spouses when a family member dies. Okay. Why didn’t Chuck just say that it’s outdated and let Meghan accompany Harry? Seriously, do they think people will believe this?

      I guess there is a certain percentage of people in the UK who will believe the brf whenever they use the word protocol. As an American, it’s completely absurd. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if people in other countries agree with me. What were they thinking?

  9. Amy Bee says:

    What I’ve learned in the week that the Queen died is the Royal Family’s mean concern is optics. Meghan was banned from going to Balmoral because Kate wasn’t going. As for Charles loving his sons maybe William but certainly not Harry. There’s still no explanation as why Harry was left behind when the others left together and why he wasn’t told that the Queen was dead before he got on the plane? According to reports the PM was told at 4:30 pm and Harry got on the plane at 5:40 pm.

  10. Scorpion says:

    Keep in mind, this is the 3rd version of this story being circulated by the RF.

  11. Merricat says:

    All this noise is an attempt to drown out Harry’s book. Lol, it won’t work.

  12. aquarius64 says:

    If it’s protocol for the wives to stay behind why was Sophie in the car with William, Edward and Andrew? There’s a picture of them going to Balmoral, did the palace minions forget that?

    • MsIam says:

      Evidently there is “children” protocol and then there is “grandchildren” protocol. Or something. I think they invent it as they go along.

  13. ThatsNotOkay says:

    Here’s my theory: they put out every permutation and combination of their actions so that people can pick and choose whichever one fits their own narrative and biases, and that way it looks like someone somewhere was telling the truth, though it’s all always lies.

    And Kate wasn’t welcome so there’s no way in hell Meghan could be seen as welcome. That’s my narrative and I’m sticking to it! Lol!

  14. HeatherC says:

    I’m still so tickled that during the funeral, almost every shot of the new king and queen consort have Harry and Meghan right behind them.

    I can’t wait to see what the fourth and fifth version of the Balmoral story will be!

    • BothSidesNow says:

      And the fifth, sixth, etc will be. They can’t get themselves out of a potato bag yet alone this extremely bad scenario.

  15. Fran says:

    I’m at a point where the word “protocol” makes me want to projectile vomit on my screen.

  16. Mslove says:

    I had always assumed their protocol book on dealing with people of color hadn’t been updated since the 1600’s. It’s terrible that Harry & Meghan had to suffer the indignity of Chuck & Bill’s pettiness at such a sad time in their lives.

  17. Beana says:

    So let me get this straight – on the day of his mother’s death, Charles:
    – Was informed his mother was dying
    – Called both of his sons to inform them
    – Called his younger son back to specify that his daughter-in-law was not welcome
    – Witnessed the death of his mother
    – Welcomed his elder son
    – Informed his younger son by phone
    – Left with his elder son to have dinner and did not stay to greet or comfort his younger son.

    See, no matter how they spin it, the last action reveals it all – Charles is absolutely the worst dad. Poor Harry.

    • Same says:

      I believe she died in her sleep — or that she was barely hanging on and they called Anne into the room because she was staying there.

      Once she was pronounced dead they started gathering her four children plus Willy because the whole “heir” thing and started contacting family members. Further, I believe the Sussex spokesperson announced that “they” were heading to Balmoral because they didn’t know yet that she had actually passed. I don’t think the BRF intended for M or K to come because she was already gone.

      I don’t believe anyone snubbed anyone or anyone is “briefing” etc…..I think the rags are just rehashing everything (like we are) over and over looking for something to stick.

      • ChillinginDC says:

        Honestly I agree with Same.

      • Canadian says:

        Me too

      • Moondust says:

        Except the prime minister was informed at 4:30 pm and William and co had not arrived at Balmoral yet. They keep bringing the fact that Harry arrived way after the queen was gone and forget to mention that William wasn’t there either. Protect the heir at all costs.

        I really don’t get how they think this constant bashing make them look good. Will someone please save these people from themselves?

  18. Brassy Rebel says:

    I don’t even think the kids’ first day of school was a very good excuse for Kate not to go. Meghan’s kids were thousands of miles away when she would have preferred to be with them and was planning on it soon. Yet, she was being dutiful and showing her respect by dropping everything to rush up to Scotland with her husband. Kate’s mother was available for the children. Kate wasn’t going because her husband didn’t want her there. Therefore, Meghan couldn’t go either. The sad state of the Cambridge marriage must be covered up at all costs.

    • MF says:

      Yes, the queen’s death was such a big deal that I would’ve expected W&K to suck it up and tolerate each other’s presence for a few hours. The fact that they can’t even do that is a sign that things are really bad between them.

    • Sunday says:

      Yea I agree that it’s a bad excuse; I mean presumably the school has internet access? Why on earth would Will and Kate leave their kids in school and risk the chance that they hear about their great gran dying on the playground or from some gossipy teachers instead of pulling them out of school immediately? It’s not like nobody would be talking about it. Did they go to school the next day or stay home?

      It’s not like these people care about excessive travel; Kate could’ve flown there and back the same night if she didn’t want to sleep away from the children. It’s just such a lame excuse – ‘yea the longest reigning monarch we’ll ever have our whole lives is dying, and I’m set to one day inherit (part of) her legacy, it was a time of palpable change to our family and the nation but I just can’t make the trip because I had to take over from the nanny this one time’ ???

      Also, there’s no reason the children had to be immediately informed, it would be pretty normal to pull them out of school, set them up with a cozy overnight with grandma Carole while the parents do what they have to do and then tell them the next day, together with BOTH parents as a family, when it was less chaotic.

      • Nic919 says:

        This is why the school excuse falls flat. The kids weren’t going to stay in class once they knew that the queen wasn’t going to make it. It was all over the news and social media.

        So the kids could have easily been pulled from class once William was told to head over to Scotland and kate could have gone with him.

        She didn’t because he didn’t want her there. And BBC news had announced that both Sussexes were going and I am certain that is when the chaos started happening.

  19. Colby says:

    Always complain, always explain.

    Seriously they are so bad at PR. If they would just STFU things would blow over sooner. Why are they still talking about this?? It works against them to keep this narrative alive.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love watching them suck at being in the public eye…but it’s just wild to see the incompetence.

  20. Eurydice says:

    I get that things were chaotic, especially since it seemed that TQ took an unexpected turn for the worse. And I get that the tabloids pounced and started churning out conjectures before anyone had a chance to breathe – it’s totally their style. But why did it take the palace 2 weeks to come up with this almost completely rational explanation? It’s not like they were asked to write War and Peace. I suppose it’s a combo of things:

    H&M weren’t top priority.
    When running a state funeral you can’t be refuting every single bit in the press
    But making H&M look bad in the tabloids is fine, anyway
    Except, ooops, making H&M look bad is actually making Charles and the RF look even worse.

  21. Becks1 says:

    Honestly, overall, this scenario makes the most sense, minus the part about not being able to get in touch with the duke of sussex, because by most accounts the queen had passed before WILLIAM et al arrived, and Harry arrived a few hours later. They absolutely could have contacted him.

    But this is the explanation about Meghan that makes the most sense. If the Queen had taken a turn for the worse while the sussexes were in the US, of course both would travel to the UK to be with her and to be there for the subsequent mourning period etc. So the Sussexes were following that already laid out plan and there was a change made.

    I do think this article makes clear though what many of us were saying – that change was made because of Kate. Even when i was watching the coverage, the BBC kept talking about how Meghan was going and Kate was not (and they were counting the people unloading from the plane with William et al because they were expecting to see Harry and Meghan.)

    If Kate not being there was 100% due to the children’s first day of school, then that would have been an easy enough excuse/explanation. Kate’s kids had their first day of school, Meghan’s kids were in California so she was able to travel to Balmoral.

    But kate wasn’t there for other reasons, at least in part, so Meghan stayed behind so as not to draw attention to that (and conveniently give the RRs another anti-Meghan story to feast on for weeks apparently.)

    • MF says:

      “I do think this article makes clear though what many of us were saying – that change was made because of Kate.”

      The funny thing is: by clarifying this, they are essentially admitting that the protocol stuff is a lie.

    • FarFromRealTV says:

      Yeah. It felt from the start that Megan can’t come was actually about KATE can’t come. It’s a version of Andy can’t wear his uniform, so Harry can’t wear his.

    • Shawna says:

      My theory is that, like y’all believe, the chaos was real, but the habit of sacrificing the Sussexes for the Waleses/Cambridges is just too ingrained, too normal, to even think about stopping it. It’s so unconscious to them at this point that they don’t even have to PLAN to snub them; the behavior just happens automatically.

  22. AnneL says:

    Let’s just assume it IS Protocol that the spouses of grandchildren not be present. Sophie is the spouse of Edward so she’s one generation closer to TQ. But if so, Protocol is stupid. And they can change it if they want to. I doubt there’s anything official about that written up anywhere. If Harry wanted to bring Meghan, he should have been allowed to. The cameras were not going to be there. It was a family moment. Just be gracious for once in your life.

    She wasn’t allowed to come because Kate wasn’t going to be there and William (and probably Charles, and maybe Cam) didn’t like that idea. “If Kate can’t come, Meghan can’t come!” Like being at your dying Matriarch’s bedside is a party or special outing or something instead of a sorrowful personal event. Jeez Louise.

    For the record I understand why Kate wouldn’t go, of course. That made sense. When my sister-in-law lost her father in a car accident (husband’s brother’s wife) she was out of town and decided to wait to tell the kids until she could get back and tell them personally. The Cambridge kids, unlike Archie and Lili, are old enough to grasp what death means and to really feel the loss of their grandmother.

    • Becks1 says:

      Well, it was their great-grandmother, and the PR push wasn’t that Kate couldn’t go bc she wanted to be the one to tell the kids (wouldn’t that be more for William anyway?) the story was she couldn’t go bc it was the kids’ first day of school. That’s the part that rings false for so many of us – Kate could have flown after school, she could have flown up and been back before the kids went to sleep, etc. I also think its likely the kids were pulled out of school ASAP (or never went) so that there wasn’t a chance they would hear about it from another source.

    • Nic919 says:

      The kids would have heard about it at school. This wasn’t exactly news that could be kept quiet.

      Kate stayed home because William didn’t want her support. That’s what they didn’t want exposed to the public as Meghan attending with Harry made it that much more obvious. It also explains the delay because it’s likely Harry and Meghan were going to head up on their own and the call from Charles telling them Meghan couldn’t head up there further delayed things.

      William and the people in his plane knew the queen had passed before they left Scotland. The PM knew by 4:30 and there is no way William, Edward and Andrew didn’t know well before then and before they took the plane.

  23. Nivz says:

    The picture at the very top. Looks like Harry and K are chatting pleasantly?!?

    • Becks1 says:

      The picture where h is holding Meghan’s hand and looking past Kate at someone or something, where he and Kate are several feet apart?

    • BothSidesNow says:

      Not on his life would he chat up with Kate.

    • Feeshalori says:

      The photo where Harry is looking at William’s bald head and smiling that his mom pulled all his hair out?

    • L4Frimaire says:

      I don’t think Harry said anything to Kate on that walk about. Initially Kate raced out of the car far ahead of Meghan and tried to be next to both brothers, but Harry moved to Meghan’s side. Kate had this weird energy and looked like she wanted to come for Meghan.

  24. TL says:

    If it is protocol, then wouldn’t Harry have known about it before hand?

  25. Lili says:

    The Math of the timeline doesn’t add up, there was a national bulletin about the Queen being taking Ill and then resting comfortably before 12:30pm one would have thought the family would have been informed to get their butts to balmoral before they told the world she was ill. So they spent a lot of time.gathering the first lot on a plane and it sounds like Harry was left out of the loop and maybe informed quite late

    • Sunday says:

      Exactly, the timeline just doesn’t add up. I said this upthread, but why on earth would the cambridges leave their kids in school for hours after this announcement was made when presumably the school has internet access and therefore there would be a chance the kids would hear about this from someone at school instead of from their parents? It just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.

  26. Over it says:

    Protocol is only used to attack, smear and be dismissive of the black duchess. If Chucky wanted to reach Harry on the plane, he could have. He was the kingpin at that point. Kate was benched and children first day of school is a poor excuse, as if this woman is a hands on mom.

  27. Paulkid says:

    I can understand how only her children or their spouses might be allowed for the bedside vigil, especially since it seemed so brief. But to discourage Meghan from supporting her spouse at Balmoral was unnecessarily cruel. I am trusting Harry doesn’t forget and when it’s coronation time, I hope they send their love to Chawlz and Camiller “as they continue to destroy their lives overseas.”

  28. tamsin says:

    Harry does look like he is looking over at Kate in the top picture. It almost looks like a photoshop.

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      I think he’s looking between Fails&Wails. It’s the angle of the picture that makes you wonder. Harry didn’t look at Wails once. You could tell they way she looked at him in church when Fails made her wait to let H&M go in first. She locked on Harry and WILLED him to look at her. He kept his head down and never looked her way. I think he blanked her the entire time.

  29. Mel says:

    I don’t understand any of this, just shut up and leave them alone. They keep poking the bear trying to make themselves look good and all they’re doing is letting out enough rope to hang themselves. What part of “Megan keeps her receipts” do they not understand?

  30. tamsin says:

    RE: Two dinners
    So, Charles did not have dinner with his siblings, and chose to have a separate dinner with the son who may or may not be briefing against him? Looks like withdrawal to plot.

    • Blithe says:

      This is actually the bit that startles me the most: that amidst the possible confusions and malice, a relatively small family, dealing with shock, loss, transitions, and grief, chose to have two separate meals. Why not eat first, then plot?

    • Well Wisher says:

      The dinner was the place to enact the plot.
      Vulnerable Harry, whom they are now unacquainted would have given into their demands beause they are blood relatives.
      (Unknown to them, he was transformed by therapy.)
      He refused to attend because he recognised their blatant insistence to treat his immediate family with indignity.

      They have not had a direct opportunity to pitch their steadfast idea that it would be in their best interest if he accepted his role as a Supply to his brother who has not yet had a compliant replacement.

      It remains their goal, so this is another presentation using their beloved media eg Telegraph as a direct appeal to tell Harry to disbelieve his lying senses and ” come on home”.

      It would not work.

  31. Katya says:

    The bottom line is William “lives” five minutes from where Harry lives. Allegedly they were both “at home”. FIVE minutes and William doesn’t call his brother? As frosty as they are now they were way closer than Harry and Charles. Why stand on ceremony for Harry to hear about Gran dying from Charles. SO W. is five minutes away and he leaves without Harry or talking to Harry and goes to a RAF airfield for a flight to Scotland. That doesn’t “just happen”. Someone called ahead and arranged this and W. was able to stop and pick up Andrew? Why didn’t they got o Frogmore Cottage, tell Harry his Gran was dying and take him with?

    • Lady D says:

      Their goal is to hurt Harry. It’s how these people get their all-encompassing need for petty revenge satisfied. This shows the grace and wisdom of the first king in over 70 years. Long live the King.

      • Mary says:

        This, @ladyd. They would have known exactly when Harry’s plane was due to land. Yet, the news is divulged to the press 5 minutes before his plane touches down? If there were indeed troubles with contacting Harry while he was on the plane, which I don’t believe, why could they not wait 5 minutes? Because they wanted to hurt him and further “other” him publicly.

      • aftershocks says:

        @Katya, my understanding is that Meg & Harry were in London to attend the WellChild ceremony that evening, after having returned to England from their trip to Germany. Thus, Harry was not five minutes away from Will when news of the Queen being in a bad way was first revealed.

    • Well Wisher says:

      They do not speak directly with each other?
      They communicate through intermediaries?

      Just deliberate…

      Whatever it was, it failed.

  32. February Pisces says:

    The whole point of the family rushing up to balmoral was to say their goodbyes to the queen before she passed. So the prototype excuse is just BS. Anyway I believe she had already passed early in the day but they were just buying time.

    But I think Meghan was going to go with harry, but when Willie benched Kate and told her to stay the f*ck at home, harry was probably persuaded to go alone, which I don’t think harry or Meghan resisted because she probably didn’t want to go anyway, and harry would only be there for less than 24hrs.

    Harry values his wife and wants her by his side, unlike willie who didn’t want keen anywhere near balmoral. He probably knew she would make the queens passing all about her and she would leak to camilla Tominey about ‘holding the queens hand’ as she died. The fact Meghan almost went and Kate didn’t is enough to get Kate and her derangers mad.

  33. SpaceCadet says:

    If I were Harry, I would try hard to get the book’s publication delayed for a year to fall 2023.

    Why? Because the next year is going to be an absolute travesty. Messy, petty, and poorly coordinated. King Charles will do a terrible job.

    Right now people are having nostalgia for QEII because for the last 20 years she’s been everyone’s granny. But in a year those fuzzy feelings will be gone and everyone will see Charles for the incompetent, petty fool that he is. King Charles is going to try and stick his fingers into UK government policies and people will be very angry. Give it time; it will be a much better environment for releasing the book in a year.

    • RoyalBlue says:

      Harry is writing several books. He can get one out this year and another next year. I say go hard and don’t delay.

      • ROAA says:

        This is not true.Harry is only writing one book at the moment. His spokesperson denied the rumor that he signed a deal for several books

      • RoyalBlue says:

        Thanks ROAA. I had read that it was a deal for several books, so I appreciate this clarification.

  34. Holly says:

    Let’s not act like Sophie didn’t have a special relationship with the Queen so of course she would be there. It doesn’t seem like other grandchildren or spouses were there or even invited and some reportedly had a closer relationship with the Queen than Harry and William. I understand wanting to make this all about keeping Meghan out and that’s easy to do, but perhaps that wasn’t the focus. I haven’t seen any articles on this site outraged about other grandchildren and spouses being left out so you’re being quite selective. Is the royal family despicable and cowards for not supporting H&M and historically throwing them under the bus? Absolutely. Is that the root of EVERYTHING they did? Highly doubtful.