No ‘Red Carpet’ for Harry and Meghan Due to William’s ‘Animosity,’ Says Source
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly won’t be receiving any “red carpet” treatment from King Charles III, largely due to Prince William’s “animosity” toward the couple. This means no summer invitation to Balmoral Castle for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. King Charles is currently focused on his “absolute priority” of maintaining unity within the British royal family.
The decision means that Harry, Meghan, and their two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 2, won’t be joining King Charles at the royal family’s Scotland retreat. This also means no opportunity for a father-son reunion or for King Charles to spend time with his California-based grandchildren.
A friend of the Prince of Wales told the Daily Beast that King Charles’s primary focus is on the stability of the monarchy. Considering William’s strong feelings about Harry and Meghan, the King has opted out of inviting the Sussex family.
“William wouldn’t dream of telling his father what he can or can’t do in relation to his other son,” the insider said. “But what is true is that Charles’s absolute priority is the unity of the monarchy.”
“And given the extent of William’s animosity to Harry,” they continued, “Charles can hardly roll out the red carpet and invite Harry and the kids to stay at Balmoral for the summer holidays—however much he would like to.”
These comments came after journalist Petronella Wyatt, a longtime friend of Queen Camilla, blamed William in a Daily Telegraph column for the estrangement. Wyatt cited a “former palace official” who had worked with both Harry and William, revealing that the public perception of the brothers isn’t entirely accurate.
“There is a public misconception about William and Harry,” the source told Wyatt. “It is William who was often the difficult one. And it is William who is preventing his father from having a proper reconciliation with Harry.”
“This isn’t helpful at a point in time when the country would be buoyed up by seeing them together again, as would the king,” the source added.
A friend of William’s acknowledged that there is “a grain of truth” to Wyatt’s claims.
Earlier, it was reported that Harry and Meghan were enthusiastic about a potential reunion with King Charles. “They are looking at this summer as a pivot point to restore relations with King Charles,” an entertainment executive close to the couple told Express in April 2024. The couple was “ready, willing, and able to fly to Balmoral should the invitation come. And they genuinely hope it does.”
However, much has transpired since then in the ongoing saga of Harry’s estrangement from his father and brother. Harry visited London to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games before heading to Nigeria with Meghan. Despite speculation about a possible meeting with his father, Harry announced that it wouldn’t be possible due to the king’s “full schedule”, via People.
This perceived “snub” was followed by another when Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles would be making William head of Harry’s old army regiment. On May 13, 2024, William and King Charles were seen smiling together at the official handover ceremony.
As of now, Harry hasn’t seen King Charles in person since February 2024, and he hasn’t been in the same room with William since their father’s coronation in May 2023.