King Charles personally intervened to stop Meghan Markle from joining Prince Harry at Balmoral on the day Queen Elizabeth died, according to a new book. The claim comes from royal author Tom Bower’s Betrayal, which revisits the chaotic hours after the Queen’s health took a turn on September 8, 2022.
Harry and Meghan were reportedly weighing travel plans together from Frogmore Cottage when word came that the King objected to her joining the trip to Scotland. Bower writes that Charles called his son directly to shut it down.
“When Charles heard that Meghan intended to come, he called Harry. That was unacceptable, said Charles,” Bower writes. “Since Meghan had refused the Queen’s invitations to Balmoral in the Queen’s lifetime, she was unwelcome at her death. Sharing his grief with Meghan, who maligned the monarchy, was unthinkable.”
Bower adds that Charles believed his mother had been “shocked by Harry’s disloyalty” up until her death, framing the decision as rooted in years of tension rather than a snap judgment made that day.
Related: Are Prince Harry and Meghan Really Apologizing to King Charles? Everything You Need To Know
Kate Middleton Wasn’t Invited to Balmoral Either
According to Bower, Charles didn’t just block Meghan. He also used Kate Middleton’s absence to argue that his daughter-in-law wasn’t being singled out.
“Charles ended their argument by revealing that Kate would not be coming, so Meghan had not been picked on,” Bower writes. “Still fuming, Harry discovered that William, who was unwilling to wait any longer, had ordered the plane to take off.”
That detail lines up with Harry’s own account. He’s previously said he learned he’d missed the flight to Scotland and told Anderson Cooper directly that he “was not invited” alongside the rest of the family.
The Sussexes have pushed back hard on Bower’s book overall. A spokesperson said his “commentary has long crossed the line from criticism into fixation,” adding that “those interested in facts will look elsewhere.” Whether or not this specific account holds up, Harry and Meghan did ultimately attend the Queen’s funeral together on September 19, 2022.