On the day Queen Elizabeth passed away in 2022 the world looked on as her nearest and dearest made the trip north to Balmoral to her bedside. King Charles is understood to have called Princes William and Harry and asked them to head to Northolt Airport to travel to Scotland.

However, according to Tom Bower’s biography, Betrayal, Meghan’s plan to accompany her husband was deemed “unacceptable” by Charles. So much so that he allegedly phoned Harry again, unable to stop thinking about the Queen’s “disappointment”.

“When Charles heard that Meghan intended to come, he called Harry. That was unacceptable, said Charles,” Bower claims, adding, “Underlying Charles’s anger that fateful morning was his mother’s disappointment that the Sussexes had attacked the very institution which gave them so much.”

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Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family by Tom Bower | £11.12 (was £25) at Amazon

Written by the best-selling author of Revenge, this biography delves into the relationship between Prince Harry and Meghan and the Royal Family. It reveals shocking insights and details about all the big moments of recent years, including their exit from royal life and business ventures.View Deal

The royal biographer suggests that “since Meghan had refused the Queen’s invitations to Balmoral” extended during Her Majesty’s lifetime, she was apparently “unwelcome at her death”.

“Sharing his grief with Meghan, who maligned the monarchy, was unthinkable, said Charles. He believed that, to her dying day, his mother was shocked by Harry’s disloyalty,” adds Bower.

The Sussexes’ spokesperson has already responded to the release of Bower’s biography, stating that the claims are “deranged conspiracy and melodrama” and that the author has “long crossed the line from criticism into fixation”. Nonetheless, in his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry also describes the call with King Charles over Meghan’s intention to come to Balmoral with him.

Credit: Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images

He remarks that his father started to explain his reasons for the Duchess staying behind “but they didn’t make any sense at all” and were “disrespectful”. It was also revealed to him that the Princess of Wales would not be coming, so Meghan wouldn’t be the only royal wife absent.

In Kate’s case, royal expert Russell Myers claims in William & Catherine that she stayed behind in Windsor to be there when Prince George, Charlotte and Louis got home from their first day at their new school and to tell them the sad news.

The King’s supposed “anger” that day the Queen died perhaps makes sense given how much scrutiny the royals had been under in general since Harry and Meghan’s departure and Oprah Winfrey interview. The prospect of losing his beloved mother likely only increased the sense of pressure and reflectiveness.

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It’s thought that Meghan has still never been to Balmoral and there are various reasons why she and Harry might not have gone during Queen Elizabeth’s reign, including the distance after they relocated to the US. She attended the Queen’s funeral and has always been full of admiration when she talks about her husband’s grandmother.

“There’s been such an outpouring of love and support,” Meghan said to Variety a month after the Queen’s death. “I’m really grateful that I was able to be with my husband to support him, especially during that time.”

“Certainly, in terms of female leadership, she is the most shining example of what that looks like. I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her,” the Duchess declared.