Prince Harry ‘bought out’ from royal family, says Mike Parry
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex failed to watch the RAF from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on 2 June. A few weeks earlier, the palace had announced that the… Queen would allow only full-time members of the Firm to join her for the occasion, a move that prevented Meghan, Harry and Prince Andrew among others to take center stage next to the monarch on the important day. Prior to this announcement, however, Prince Harry had asked both Her Majesty and her “resistant advisers” for permission to appear on the balcony over the long holiday weekend, biographer Tom Bower has claimed in his upcoming book “Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors’.
In an excerpt from the book serialized by The Times, Mr Bower wrote: “The obstacles for Meghan and Harry to appear centrally were considerable – not least because their presence was opposed by Charles.
Charles preferred that the Sussexes, as citizens, were not invited to the balcony or to ride in a royal carriage.
“Instead, they would be limited to the VIP quarters. Meghan said those optics were unsatisfactory, in part because her value to Netflix was being close to the Queen.”
The journalist also claimed that Harry first approached the monarch’s “resistant advisers” with his request to be on the balcony over the festive weekend.
He added: “When this failed, he asked the Queen if he could visit her in Windsor on his way to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games.
To secure her agreement, Harry seemed to give the impression that the meeting would offer an ‘olive branch’ to ‘clear the air’.
Harry is said to have asked the Queen if he and Meghan could appear on the balcony during the anniversary (Image: GETTY)
Only working royals were allowed to join the queen on the palace balcony on June 2 (Image: GETTY)
“At the last minute, eager to see her grandson and instinctively forgiving Meghan, the Queen agreed to meet the couple on April 14.”
Unknown to the public and the press, Prince Harry and Meghan stopped in Windsor while traveling to The Hague, where they would attend several events related to the Invictus Games together and were followed by a Netflix crew for the filming of the documentary. series Heart by Invictus.
Bower said the Sussexes’ meeting with the Queen took place after they spent a night with Princess Eugenie, suggesting the couple stayed at Frogmore Cottage, which is still their official UK residence.
Her Majesty, the author also claimed, insisted that Harry and Meghan meet… Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwallbefore I saw her.
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The Queen and Prince Harry greet each other in 2015 (Image: GETTY)
Mr Bower claimed in his book, “The Sussexes arrived late. Their first meeting was civilized but failed to resolve the fraught relationships created by their Oprah Winfrey interview.
“In contrast, there was no tension when drinking tea with the Queen.
“Yet the question of their appearance on the balcony remained unresolved.”
Prince Harry himself spoke about his behind-closed-door meeting with the Queen while being interviewed in the Netherlands by American journalist Hoda Kotb.
NOT MISSING
The Queen watches the RAF fly over with the Cambridges on 2 June (Image: GETTY)
Prince Harry and Meghan with the Queen on the Palace Balcony in 2019 (Image: GETTY)
The short interview was about the ongoing Games, the extraordinary athletes participating and the healing power of sport.
But it also focused on the duke’s family, his children, and his relationship with the monarch.
Speaking of their meeting, Harry told Mrs. Kotb, “I had tea with her.
“It was really nice to catch up with her and, you know, home to me is now, you know, for now it’s in the States. And that’s how it feels.”
The line of succession to the throne (Image: EXPRESS)
Harry raised eyebrows at many royal commentators and viewers, also saying that he is only “making sure” that his 96-year-old grandmother is “protected and has the right people around”.
Later in the interview, the Duke added: “We have a very special relationship.
“We talk about things she can’t talk to anyone else about, so that’s always a nice rest for her.”
Since stepping down as working royals at the end of March 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have emphasized that their relationship with the Queen has remained very good and has been able to keep in touch with her despite now living in California.
Prince Harry and Meghan attended the Thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral on June 3 (Image: GETTY)
After their short trip to Windsor in mid-April, Meghan and Harry returned to England in early June to celebrate the Queen’s historic 70th year on the throne.
The pair were seen in public only twice – while watching, with most members of the Royal Family, the Trooping the Color parade from the Major General’s office overlooking the Horse Guards parade and, the next day, at the service of the thanksgiving held at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Meghan and Harry dedicated June 4 to their children, such as the day their daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana turned one.
Celebrating the private milestone with close friends and family, they didn’t release a photo of the child until June 6, when the Queen’s celebrations ended.
The family of four traveled back to California on June 5.