‘They just didn’t want her there’: The truth about Meghan Markle being kept away from the Queen’s deathbed, finally revealed

When it became apparent that Queen Elizabeth II didn’t have much time left, the royal family sprang into action. For decades there’d been extensive planning for what would happen when the 96-year-old died, taking into account the manner of her death, the location, and any other possible permutation of events.

However, it seems Meghan Markle was one factor they hadn’t quite settled on, resulting in confusion, chaos, and yet more bad blood between senior royals. On the day it became apparent the Queen was on her deathbed Harry and Meghan were already in the United Kingdom for various charity events, with their spokesman confirming the couple would urgently travel to Balmoral to see the Queen together.

Then, abruptly, there was a change of plan. Meghan was bumped from the list, while Harry flew up there solo. In Spare, Harry revealed Meghan’s exclusion infuriated him:

“Then came another call from Pa. He said I was welcome at Balmoral, but he didn’t want…her. He started to lay out his reason, which was nonsensical, and disrespectful, and I wasn’t having it. “Don’t ever speak about my wife that way. He stammered, apologetic, saying he simply didn’t want a lot of people around. No other wives were coming, Kate wasn’t coming, he said, therefore Meg shouldn’t. “Then that’s all you needed to say”.

But it appears Charles may not have been being entirely honest with Harry. Robert Hardman’s recent book Charles III: New King, New Court, The Inside Story claims that Kate independently chose not to attend in order to support her children, a decision Charles then used as a convenient excuse to tell Harry to prevent Meghan from flying up.

The real reason Meghan was told not to come? “They just didn’t want [her] there”, according to royal biographer Omid Scobie. The thinking appears to have been that inviting Meghan was inviting drama into a tense and solemn situation, especially as there were still raw nerves after the bombshell Oprah interview.

William and Harry were particularly upset with each other at this point and, in the wake of the Queen’s death, everyone was desperate for the royal family to be seen mourning as a unified group rather than backstabbing each other and bickering behind closed doors. All it would take was one overheard angry conversation between William and Harry, or a photo of them arguing and the tabloids would have fodder for days. With Meghan safely hundreds of miles away the feeling was that there was less risk of conflict.

Meghan later revealed that the situation was “complicated” for her and Harry, saying to Variety:

“I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her. It’s been a complicated time, but my husband, ever the optimist, said, ‘Now she’s reunited with her husband’. I’ve reflected on that first official engagement that I had with her, and how special that felt. I feel fortunate. And I continue to be proud to have had a nice warmth with the matriarch of the family.”

Many in the royal family (particularly Kate Middleton) hold out hope that the division between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family can be healed over time. That said, as revelations continue to trickle out about the underhand way Meghan has been treated by them, it may be a very slow process before they’re all celebrating Christmas together in Balmoral.