Charles III he would have had no hesitations when excluding Harry and Meghan from the guest list at Trooping The Colour. However, it would still be her wish to put an end, once and for all, to the feud between the royal family and the Sussexes. So he is thinking of proposing to his son and daughter-in-law that they spend a few days at Balmoral this summer. A perfect opportunity to talk and take those long-awaited steps towards reconciliation. Your Majesty, however, would not be willing to make peace at all costs, but you would have some very clear conditions to list to Harry and Meghan, the classic “boundaries” prepared to guarantee the protection of the Crown from the media assaults of the dukes.
“An idea quickly shelved”
Harry And Meghan they have not participated in Trooping The Color since 2019, the year before their resignation from the royal family. 2024 was no exception either. It seems, however, that it was not the dukes who refused the invitation, but rather Charles III who decided not to send it without any hesitation. In this regard, the royal expert Tom Quinn revealed to the Mirror: “There was a brief discussion between senior royals about whether to invite Harry and Meghan to Trooping The Colour, but the idea was quickly shelved, because even if the couple accepted the invitation, there would be a sense that it could cast a shadow over everything”. For example, they fear the tabloids and experts, trying to get noticed in any way to steal the attention due to the sovereign during such an important event.
“I am no longer senior royal”
“[Harry] he has always been interested in military matters”, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams pointed out to the Sun and Trooping The Color falls right into this category. Consequently, perhaps, the non-invitation may have been difficult to digest. On the other hand, however, it is also true that i Sussex they are no longer in the service of the monarchy. With Megxit they lost the right to aspire to official roles in public appointments. Furthermore, the expert points out again, the couple “he hopes to get an apology from the royal family regarding the treatment he received during his time as a senior royal, which is unlikely to happen”. This situation would only exacerbate the feud with the Windsors, as well as being a source of sadness and “regret” for Harry, who would look back on his old life in London with nostalgia.
Invitation to Balmoral
At this point, given the seriousness of the misunderstandings between the dukes and Buckingham Palace, we might think that there is no way out and things are destined to stay this way forever. It’s not for sure. According to what was reported by the Mirror, Charles III is considering the possibility of inviting Harry and Meghan to Balmoral for the royal family’s traditional summer holidays. There is no contradiction with the alleged, non-invitation to Trooping The Colour. The latter, in fact, is a public appointment, it is part of the official life that the duke has renounced, while in Balmoral it is a private residence, the place of rest. It follows that any visit by the Sussexes would also be private. A circumstance which on the one hand would favor dialogue and, why not, a definitive clarification, on the other, however, it could represent a problem for the dukes.
“Obsessed with public image”
“According to people I spoke to at Kensington Palace, King Charles has hinted to Harry and Meghan that they may come to Balmoral in the summer to see if anything can be done about the ongoing family feud.”, royal expert Tom Quinn told the Mirror. This, however, does not mean that a positive outcome is possible dialogue is obvious: “If the invitation becomes a real invitation and it is almost certain that it will, both Harry and Meghan will find themselves in a difficult position”Quinn speculated. “[I Sussex] they are obsessed with their public image and will be aware that they would be better off putting their pride aside and returning to the UK.”. But there would be an obstacle: “Meghan still wants an apology from William, King Charles and Kate, so it will be difficult for her to put her pride aside, but on the other hand she doesn’t want to appear as the one holding a grudge, because that will lead to criticism and she hates the criticisms. From another side [la duchessa] he knows he always has to turn to his children when he makes excuses and says he can’t come to Balmoral.”
Archie and Lilibet Diana
According to Quinn Archie And Lilybet Diana they would be Meghan’s excuse for not going to Balmoral. This too, however, would be a problem, because Charles III would be tired of seeing his grandchildren only through a screen: “Family has always been important to the King,” royal biographer Ingrid Seward explained to the Mirror. “He remembers his rather fragmented childhood, when his parents were always busy with their official duties. It is a great sadness for him not to see more of Archie and Lilibet. This is the reason why he won’t break ties with Harry. He doesn’t want a FaceTime relationship with his son’s kids. He wants to get to know them, be involved in their lives while they are still young enough to learn his wisdom from him.”. Thoughts born from the awareness that her Majesty would have acquired with her illness: “Cancer has made everything more poignant for him, as he knows he won’t be around forever.”
“Good from evil”
On the same wavelength as Seward is an insider quoted by the Mirror, who declared: “The King is committed to being present in the lives of all his grandchildren. Family comes first and whatever the course of his relationship with his son, he is not satisfied with seeing his grandchildren in rare video calls. The affection for the children and the emotional wave following the announcements of Carlo’s and his illnesses Kate they could, despite everything, push both sides involved in the family war to take a step forward. Maybe right at Balmoral, as Tom Quinn suggested: “Carlo knows that Harry and Meghan are much more likely to respond positively to an invitation after the shock of Harry and Kate’s father’s cancer diagnosis. It’s one of those situations where good could come from evil.”
The conditions for peace
All this does not mean at all that love for the family makes the sovereign more malleable and, therefore, willing to make peace with the Sussexes at any cost. In reverse. The King would place the Dukes of Sussex of the essential conditions for reconciliation. “Carlo would like to be closer to Harry and have a relationship with him that really works,” Tom Quinn explained to the Mirror. “But that depends on Harry, whether he will give his father an absolute guarantee that there will be no more books, no more embarrassing interviews. Harry still feels like a victim and feels that his family must make promises to him, not the other way around.” Another obstacle that could make the path to peace more difficult. Furthermore, without books, documentaries and interviews on the royal family, Harry and Meghan would lose much of their hold on the public.
The continuous recriminations of the dukes, however, would not allow the situation to progress and would be in stark contrast to what Harry declared in his memoir and in various interviews, as Quinn recalled: “Harry’s comment in Spare that he ‘wants peace’ on behalf of his mother is undoubtedly sincere, but by remaining focused on Diana, Harry actually allows history to repeat itself.”
