Queen 'given welcoming ceremony at Balmoral' says expert

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The Royal Family has been left heartbroken after the death of Prince Philip aged 99. Prince Charles has spoken about how his family now have “an empty seat at their dinner table”. Philip’s absence comes as Meghan and Harry continue to grow apart from the family.

While Megxit happened over a year ago, the pair in February announced they would no longer be returning as senior working royals.

Not a month later the pair sat down for an interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey and aimed several intense allegations at members of the Royal Family.

Many have tried to pinpoint the moment Meghan and Harry’s fall from royalty began, largely unsuccessfully.

One of the contributing factors might be found when looking at their relationship with family outings compared to Kate and William.

Balmoral Castle is one of the Royal Family’s – and particularly Prince Charles’ – favourite residences in the UK.

Kate made her first trip there in 2009, two years before her royal wedding, and just a year later her parents were invited to a shooting weekend there which hinted an engagement was on the horizon.

According to Christopher Andersen, a royal author, writing in his book, ‘William and Kate: A Royal Love Story’, Kate impressed the royals during her visit.

He said: “It was one thing to be asked to accompany Wills on club-hopping excursions in London and Edinburgh.

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“It was quite another to be invited to Balmoral, which William’s great-great-great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria called ‘this dear Paradise’.

“By all accounts, Kate was the first girl Wills ever brought to Balmoral – in large part because, said a royal insider, ‘he must have known how much she would love it.'”

More importantly, he added: “As Kate stood on the riverbank angling for salmon, trout and pike, it quickly became clear to one member of the Balmoral staff that she seemed ‘perfectly at home here’.”

The family’s affection for Kate following the visit was secured, as royal editor Robert Jobson noted in his book, ‘William’s Princess’, after she and William were gifted their own “romantic” hideaway.

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He wrote: “William’s grandmother showed the significance of Kate to her grandson when she ensured that the young couple would have a secure and romantic bolt-hole on Balmoral estate in the Scottish Highlands.

“To Charles it is a place that has always represented the freedom to be himself; there he and Camilla are simply Mr and Mrs Wales, happy to spend hours walking across the moors.

“Perhaps part of Charles’ affection for Kate stemmed from his recognition that in her, William had found somebody who could happily share the remote Aberdeenshire landscapes that he loved, somebody who would walk by his side as far as he wanted and curl up in front of a roaring fire at the end of the day.

“The fact that, along with the Queen, he gifted the couple a Highland home was massively significant.

“The Queen picked up the bill but it is fair to say that she would not have dreamed of offering the place without the blessing of William’s father.”

The period of getting to know each other at the private setting of Balmoral ran in stark contrast to Meghan’s relationship with the residence.

In 2018, when the Royal Family travelled to the residence over the August bank holiday, Meghan and Harry skipped the chance to take part in the traditional grouse hunt.

According to The Sun, many speculated that Harry shunned the activity because of Meghan’s animal rights history.

This was after he missed out on the traditional grouse hunt on Boxing Day in 2017 so as not to upset her.

Perhaps more telling is when Meghan and Harry snubbed the Queen’s invitation to visit Balmoral a year later, in 2019, at the time saying Archie, who was four months old, was too young.

William and Kate did go with their children.

A source told The Sun: “Harry and Meghan had no plans to go to Balmoral this summer as they felt Archie was too young.

“It’s a bit odd, as his age didn’t stop them taking him to Ibiza for a week and then to see Elton John in France.

“If they want privacy or protection — which was Harry’s excuse for taking private jets — there is no more protected or private holiday destination than the Queen’s Scottish home.

“It’s all very hunting, shooting, fishing up at Balmoral, so maybe that put Meghan off. She has never been to Balmoral and the Queen was disappointed they’re not going.”

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