The circumstances surrounding Queen Elizabeth II’s final hours have remained a subject of intense public interest, particularly because of the reported disagreement over whether Meghan Markle should accompany Prince Harry to Balmoral on the day the monarch died.

According to royal author Tom Bower in his book Betrayal, Meghan was reportedly not considered welcome at Balmoral after Queen Elizabeth became seriously ill on September 8, 2022. Bower’s account describes the tense events surrounding the Queen’s final day and offers an explanation for why King Charles allegedly objected when he learned that Meghan intended to travel to Scotland with Harry.

On the morning of September 8, 2022, members of the Royal Family were informed that the Queen’s health had deteriorated significantly. At the time, Elizabeth was staying at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, a residence she particularly loved and where she traditionally spent part of the summer.

Then-Prince Charles reportedly received an urgent telephone call informing him that his mother was seriously unwell. He immediately made arrangements to travel to Balmoral by helicopter so that he could be with her during what were clearly becoming her final hours.

According to Bower’s account, Charles also contacted his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, to inform them of the situation. The brothers were reportedly advised to make their way to Northolt airport in West London, where an aircraft was being prepared to take senior members of the family to Scotland.

At that point, Harry was staying at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor with Meghan. While arrangements were being made for members of the Royal Family to travel to Balmoral, the couple reportedly discussed whether Meghan should accompany Harry.

Bower claims that Charles became aware that Meghan intended to travel north with her husband and immediately contacted Harry. According to the author, Charles objected to the Duchess joining the family at Balmoral.

The alleged reason was connected to Meghan’s previous relationship with Queen Elizabeth and, more specifically, claims that she had declined invitations to visit the monarch at Balmoral during the Queen’s lifetime.

Bower argues that Charles believed Meghan’s presence would be inappropriate at such a deeply personal and emotional moment. In his account, the King felt that it would be difficult to share his grief with someone whom he believed had publicly criticized the institution of the monarchy.

The author also claims that Charles believed his mother had been deeply hurt by the breakdown in Harry’s relationship with the Royal Family. According to this version of events, the King regarded the Queen’s final years as a period in which she was particularly affected by the tensions surrounding Harry and Meghan.

Harry was reportedly angry about his father’s position. However, Bower says Charles eventually pointed out that Meghan was not being singled out. Kate Middleton was also not traveling to Balmoral with William.

This was reportedly intended to make clear that the decision was not specifically directed against Meghan. Instead, the circumstances surrounding the Queen’s final hours meant that only certain senior members of the family were making the journey to Scotland.

Despite the disagreement, Harry ultimately traveled to Balmoral. Bower claims that the Duke was still upset when he discovered that William’s aircraft had departed without him because his brother was unwilling to wait any longer.

The precise circumstances of the family’s travel arrangements have been the subject of considerable media attention ever since the Queen’s death.

There had previously been speculation about why Harry and Meghan had not visited Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral in earlier years. In 2019, reports suggested that their absence may have been connected to their young son Archie, who was only a few months old at the time. However, this explanation was never officially confirmed.

Queen Elizabeth died at Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. Her death marked the end of a historic 70-year reign. The official cause of death was recorded as old age.

Harry and Meghan later attended the Queen’s funeral in London on September 19, 2022. Their appearance alongside other members of the Royal Family attracted enormous international attention, particularly because of the tensions that had developed between the Sussexes and the rest of the family.

Bower’s Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family examines the deep divisions between the Sussex and Windsor branches of the Royal Family. The book explores the strained relationship between Harry and his older brother William and offers the author’s interpretation of the events that contributed to the growing rift.

Among its various claims, the book discusses Queen Elizabeth’s reported concerns about Harry’s decision to move quickly toward marriage with Meghan. It also examines Harry’s relationship with other members of the Royal Family.

However, the Sussexes strongly rejected Bower’s portrayal of their relationship with the Royal Family. In a statement responding to the author’s claims, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan accused Bower of becoming excessively focused on the couple and argued that his commentary had moved beyond legitimate criticism.

The statement also criticized the author for what the couple considered exaggerated theories about people he did not personally know. Their representatives argued that readers interested in factual information should look beyond what they regarded as sensationalized accounts.

The disagreement is especially noteworthy because other accounts have portrayed Meghan’s relationship with Queen Elizabeth in a much warmer light.

Before her marriage to Harry, Meghan spoke publicly about her admiration for the Queen. Following her engagement, she described Elizabeth as an extraordinary woman and discussed how meaningful it was to get to know Harry’s grandmother personally.

Meghan also emphasized that she came to understand the Queen not only through her position as monarch but through Harry’s affection and respect for her as a grandmother. Her comments suggested that she viewed the relationship as personal as well as constitutional.

There were also early signs of a positive connection between Meghan and the late monarch. Queen Elizabeth’s famously beloved corgis reportedly responded warmly to Meghan during their first meetings, something that was widely viewed as a positive indication of their relationship.

After Meghan married Harry in May 2018, reports suggested that the Queen was keen for her new granddaughter-in-law to succeed in her royal role. It was even reported that Elizabeth offered the Duchess of Edinburgh as a potential mentor who could help Meghan navigate the complexities of royal life.

The Queen and Meghan also appeared comfortable together during their first official engagement without Harry. In June 2018, only weeks after the royal wedding, Meghan accompanied Elizabeth on a visit to Cheshire.

Photographs from the occasion showed the two women smiling, laughing and appearing relaxed in one another’s company. Their public interactions seemed to indicate a cordial and affectionate relationship.

These contrasting accounts make the question of Meghan’s alleged exclusion from Balmoral particularly complicated. On one hand, Bower’s version portrays a serious breakdown in trust between Meghan and the Royal Family, with Charles reportedly believing that her presence would be inappropriate during the Queen’s final moments.

On the other hand, Meghan’s own public comments and her early appearances with Elizabeth suggest that their relationship was not always characterized by hostility. The Queen appeared supportive of Meghan’s entry into the Royal Family, and the two were publicly photographed sharing several warm moments.

Ultimately, the events of September 8, 2022, occurred during an extraordinarily emotional and chaotic period for the Royal Family. Much of what happened behind closed doors has never been independently confirmed, and accounts from royal commentators and authors can differ considerably.

What is clear is that Harry’s journey to Balmoral took place against the backdrop of already strained family relationships. Meghan’s decision not to accompany him, whether because of Charles’s reported objection or for other practical reasons, became another controversial episode in the long-running story of the Sussexes’ relationship with the Royal Family.

Queen Elizabeth’s death brought the reign of Britain’s longest-serving monarch to an end, but it also highlighted the unresolved divisions within her family. In the years since, Harry and Meghan have continued to live largely outside Britain, while their relationship with senior royals has remained complicated.

The differing accounts of Meghan’s relationship with the Queen demonstrate just how difficult it is to establish what truly happened behind palace doors. While some portray their relationship as increasingly strained, other memories suggest genuine warmth and affection.

For that reason, claims about why Meghan was allegedly unwelcome at Balmoral should be viewed as the account of the author rather than as an undisputed historical fact. The final days of Queen Elizabeth’s life remain deeply personal moments for the Royal Family, many details of which may never be publicly known.