05 May 2024 , 18:48
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Meghan Markle skipping the UK visit her husband is embarking on next week has seemingly prompted a ‘huge sigh of relief’ from Kensington Palace, according to an expert
Meghan Markle’s decision not to return to the United Kingdom with her husband Prince Harry has prompted a "huge sigh of relief" from Kensington Palace, a royal expert claims.
The Duke of Sussex is due to attend a special service at St Paul’s Cathedral on May 8 to celebrate 10 years of the Invictus Games, a groundbreaking sports competition for ex-servicepeople that Harry founded back in 2014.
Sources have claimed that when Prince Harry contacted his father King Charles and asked for a meeting, the monarch had a simple four-word response to the request, that he would do so "if he is able". And now as Harry is expected to fly solo to England without his wife Meghan, a royal expert claims her absence has left sources at Kensington Palace - the home of Prince William and Princess Kate - feeling rather relieved.
Meghan will be remaining in California while her husband travels attends the service to give a reading. The Duchess will likely stay behind to look after the couple’s two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Royal expert and author Tom Quinn has spoken exclusively to The Mirror about the Duke of Sussex’s upcoming trip to England, with him also touching on the way in which Meghan decided to snub the event. Harry’s visit to the UK marks his second solo return in recent months, with the Duke flying over earlier this year after hearing of his father’s cancer diagnosis.
Prince Harry being back in the UK next week will mark the first time he has walked British soil since his sister-in-law Kate Middleton revealed her cancer diagnosis to the world. Quinn touched on this when he told us: "The shock of Kate’s recent cancer diagnosis provides one possible route through all the difficulties surrounding these family meetings. If anything will make Harry behave as he used to behave before his marriage it will be the shock of potentially losing someone he once described as ‘the sister he always wanted’."
He added: "William hates the idea of meeting Harry again. For Kate it’s different. She finds the idea of meeting Harry far less awkward just so long as Meghan isn’t around."
Quinn then dropped a bombshell when he said: "Which is why, at Kensington Palace there was a huge sigh of relief when it was confirmed that Meghan would not be accompanying her husband to the UK. William and Kate have always attributed the change in Harry – from a charming if wilful boy to an angry young man – to Meghan’s influence. Kate supports her husband, but still sees Harry as a troubled little boy who just needs attention and unconditional love."
Back in March, the Princess of Wales revealed she was undergoing treatment for cancer in an emotional video. She spoke about the "huge shock" of the medical development and how her family has experienced an "incredibly tough couple of months" and at times her voice cracked with feeling.
Despite their ongoing rift with the Royal Family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle issued a public statement and some experts said they also reached out to the Prince and Princess of Wales privately. "We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace," the Sussexes said in their public display of support at the time.
It was also reported, shortly after their public message, that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "reached out" to William and Catherine in private. ITV’s royal editor Chris Ship said Harry "has reached out to his brother" despite the tensions between them.
Taking to Twitter, Mr Ship revealed: "Prince Harry has reached out to his brother, Prince William after learning of Kate’s cancer. Harry and Meghan have both been in touch with their brother/sister-in-law but did so privately. It not clear if that was a phone/video call or some messages of support."