Royal Editor Russell Myers says Meghan Markle was asked to steer clear of the late Queen Elizabeth II amid “upset and upheaval” within the royal family over the couple’s lucrative media deals.
Mr Myers was responding to claims King Charles had “struck a deal” with Princess Kate that she keep Meghan away from the Queen’s bedside to avoid upset in the monarch’s final moments.
Royal expert Robert Jobson had earlier told the Daily Telegraph of the steps King Charles took to ensure the former actress was not around amid the Queen’s ill health.
“Privately, he wanted to say Meghan was not welcome but he couldn’t say that to Harry so he personally intervened and asked Kate to stay back so that it was fairer on Meghan,” Mr Jobson said.
Speaking to Royal Report host Caroline Di Russo, Mr Myers said while he wouldn’t use the words “strike a deal” there was a lot of anxiety surrounding Harry and Meghan’s return for the late monarch’s funeral.
“William and Kate’s children had just started a new school, had just move to Windsor from London, so obviously a very unsettling time for the whole family,” he said on Sunday night.
“And after the late Queen’s passing you of course could understand the sort of anxiousness around the family that Harry and Meghan would fly back.
“During that period of time we had a lot of upset and upheaval within the royal family to do with Harry and Meghan – the Oprah interview, the possibility of Harry writing his book at that stage and a Netflix interview on the cards.”
Mr Myers said there were conversations between Harry and Charles about Meghan but Princess Kate’s choice to stay back was more likely “a family decision”.
“Whenever Harry and Meghan were in and around the royal family it was becoming a bit of an issue so those conversations really took place between Harry and his father,” he said.
“For Kate to stay away and look after her children was probably more of a family decision to work out what’s best for the overall feeling of the family at that time.”
Mr Myers said Harry’s relationship with the royal family had reached “near rock bottom” as the Queen’s health deteriorated last year.
He said at the time tensions were so strained the family had rushed to be by the monarch’s bedside without telling Harry.
“He only found out about his grandmothers passing, according to him, when he turned on his phone and he was coming in to land in Scotland, the rest of the royals had left without him to be by the Queen’s bedside,” Mr Myers said.
“But obviously Harry wasn’t part of that family picture at the time and I think it really paints quite a sad picture at how sort of detracted he was from the family.
“And now of course after his book we know his relationships were beyond strained at the time.”
News Source: www.skynews.com.au
