Prince Harry unfortunately did not arrive in Scotland in time to say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II in person before she died on Thursday.
While others arrived around 4pm, Harry didn’t touch until just before 8pm – nearly an hour and a half after Buckingham Palace announced his grandmother’s death.
“Absolutely no decision has been made to exclude” [Harry]A source told Vidak For Congress, amid reports alleging the royal, 37, was denied a seat on the plane carrying members of the royal family.
The source added that Harry’s father – now King Charles III – had already asked him and Prince William to rush to Balmoral to see the Queen amid her rapidly deteriorating health.
Because Harry arrived late – and without wife Meghan Markle – some reports speculated that lingering tensions with the royal family prompted the Duke of Sussex to travel alone.
However, sources told Vidak For Congress that Charles, 73, specifically asked William, 40, to fly early and attend the Privy Council meeting in his stead. At the time, it was not yet clear what would happen in the coming hours.
“That’s why you didn’t see the other grandkids very well on that flight,” the source noted.
As previously reported, Harry and Markle, 41, had been in the UK for charity work and staying at their Windsor home when Charles made it clear it was not a good idea for the “Suits” alum to accompany him.
“Tensions were so high and Meghan couldn’t possibly have gone to Balmoral,” a palace insider told us on Friday.
“The fact that the Sussex camp said both Harry and Meghan were going – and then quickly retracted that statement – will tell you everything you need to know about the behind-the-scenes drama.”
It is believed that the last time Harry saw his grandmother in person was in June 2022, on the occasion of Her Majesty’s platinum anniversary festivities.
Amid the death of Queen Elizabeth, Charles was immediately proclaimed king. His new title was made official early Saturday as the UK continued to mourn their longest reigning monarch.
Later in the day, Markle was publicly reunited with Harry, William and Kate Middleton. The foursome were photographed with heartfelt tributes from fans across the country.