EXCLUSIVE: In the coming weeks, the royals are expected to head to Balmoral for their annual summer holiday – but two royals noticeably absent from visiting recently are Prince Harry and Meghan
Its stunning surroundings of rolling green hills and beautiful moors have seen it dubbed the ‘most beautiful place on earth’.
And with the summer holidays now in full swing, the Royal Family is expected to be gearing up to head to Balmoral over the next few weeks in their time-honoured tradition.
Like his mother before him, the King spends part of August and September on the 50,000-acre Scottish Highlands estate, welcoming various relatives for a short stay while he is in residence. But two royals who have not enjoyed a stay in Aberdeenshire for many years are Prince Harry and wife Meghan.
Since dramatically quitting their royal roles over six years ago and as their feud with their royal relatives deepened, neither they nor their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, have spent any time at the Scottish retreat.
However, in a glimmer of hope of potential royal reconciliation, last month, the King was reunited with his grandchildren after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited him at his country home of Highgrove.
It was the first time in four years that Charles had seen his grandchildren in person and has been interpreted by many as a sign of the thawing of the relationship between the King and his youngest son.
So with relations appearing to head in the right direction, could a Balmoral trip for Harry, Meghan and their children be in the offing for a family reunion? Royal expert Jennie Bond is not so sure.
The former BBC royal correspondent told the Mirror: “I think it’s still a question of baby steps as far as the reconciliation between the King and the Sussexes goes.
“Everyone is still waiting to see whether the privacy of the recent reunion at Highgrove will be honoured. So far, so good – no leaked details, no rumours of any photos being made public. And it needs to remain that way.
“But I certainly can’t see Harry and Meghan being invited to Balmoral when William and his family are there. Other family members would clearly have to be asked if they wanted to be there at the same time.
“The castle is almost a sacred place for the royal family. It is where the late Queen was happiest and where she died. It is the place where the family feels truly off-duty and relaxed. They can put their guard down, and they would have to feel that was still the case if Harry and Meghan were there.”
Sources close to Harry have previously said he is keen to introduce his young children to his homeland to allow them to learn and experience their heritage.
In photos on Instagram by Meghan, it shows on their recent family visit to the UK, they also visited Althorp, the Spencer family estate, where the prince’s late mother, Princess Diana is buried.
For Harry, spending summers at Balmoral was a yearly tradition, where he would join his extended family for long walks, games, horse rides, fishing trips and picnics.
And Jennie added: “Harry himself has written about how special Balmoral is. In his book, Spare, he recalled how happy he was: ‘To me, Balmoral was always simply paradise. A cross between Disney World and some sacred Druid grove’.
“So I’m absolutely sure he wants to show his children what it’s like one day – and it is an entirely different world to the one they know in California.”
And even though the royal expert says a trip to the Scottish Highlands for the Sussexes this year might not be forthcoming, she believes there is potential for this to change in the future.
Jennie explained: “I think it’s unlikely that we will see Harry and his family at Balmoral this year. But if the baby steps keep on coming, Harry might get his wish to show his children the wonders of this magical Scottish castle.”
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