Prince Harry was invited to the Balmoral estate in September 2022, just hours before the death of Queen Elizabeth II, but he described the invitation as "disrespectful" because he was asked to visit alone, without his wife Meghan Markle.
Invitation amid Queen's declining health
At the time, Harry was in the UK with Meghan for various work commitments. In his memoir Spare, he detailed how King Charles informed him about the Queen's deteriorating health and invited him to the Scottish estate.
Harry wrote that his father called to say the Queen's health had taken a turn and that she was at Balmoral. He immediately texted his brother, Prince William, to ask if he and Kate were flying up, but received no response.
'Don't ever speak about my wife that way'
Harry and Meghan looked at flight options and decided to miss the WellChild Awards to hurry to Scotland. However, a second call from King Charles brought the condition: Harry was welcome, but Meghan was not.
Harry recounted: "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." The King then reassured Harry that "no other wives were coming [along]" either, including Princess Catherine.
Last UK trip for Meghan
The Balmoral visit was the last time Meghan travelled to the UK until her surprise return at the beginning of July, which also marked the first time the King had seen his two youngest grandchildren since 2022.
