Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Finally Return To Their Non-Royal Routine
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's UK visit was completely derailed when his beloved grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, fell ill at her summer home in Balmoral, Scotland. The celebrity couple was in the midst of a whirlwind tour, which took in two stops in Britain and one in Germany, all for charitable causes close to their hearts, when a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace announced Her Majesty was "under medical supervision" after a busy few days — which included meeting new Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Just a short while later, the royal family revealed the beloved monarch had passed away. Hello! magazine reported Her Majesty's eldest children, King Charles and Princess Anne, were both with her when she died since they happened to already be in Scotland at the time. Sadly, Harry didn't get to say his goodbyes to the queen despite rushing to her bedside, per TMZ. Regardless, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quickly confirmed they would be sticking around for the royal mourning period (via Express).
Now that it's over, and they've paid their respects accordingly, Meghan and Harry aren't waiting any longer to head home.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have returned home
The Sussexes are back in California. Page Six confirms Prince Harry and Meghan Markle flew back following the culmination of the royal mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II. The celebrity couple attended Her Majesty's funeral on Tuesday, Sept. 19, and traveled home the following day — crucially, before the Duchess of Sussex could speak to her father-in-law. Meghan requested a one-on-one meeting with King Charles before leaving the UK, according to a well-placed source.
Royal expert Neil Sean made the startling claim on his YouTube channel, revealing the chat would've been "an opportunity to clear the air, pull the rights from wrongs and explain some of the rationale behind what they've been doing over the last two years." Although the Sussexes, who spectacularly defected from the royal family in January 2020, weren't spotted disembarking at LAX, a black SUV was photographed shuttling them away from the airport accordingly.
It's understood Meghan and Harry's two young children, Archie and Lilibet, stayed behind with her mother, Doria Ragland, in Montecito while they were away. Suffice to say, they're probably relieved to finally be home considering how tough the UK trip ended up being.
Meghan and Harry's UK trip was rife with difficulties
An insider claimed Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were eager to leave the UK, telling InTouch Weekly they had no plans to stick around after the queen's funeral, especially since "they were unprepared to remain in the U.K. for this long" in the first place. As the source elaborated, "It's been an emotional and heartbreaking week." Likewise, most pertinently, "This is the longest amount of time they've ever been apart from their kids in one go."
It's completely understandable, considering the drama surrounding Harry's military uniform, Harry and Meghan seemingly being disinvited from a funeral event, and the fact they were seated in the second row, while virtually every other member of the royal family was placed in the first at the queen's funeral, per Page Six. Elsewhere, the unflattering hashtag #MeghanMarkleGoHome trended pretty much the entire time they were over.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were under intense scrutiny the entire time they were in Britain, even more so than usual. Perhaps worst of all, though, estranged brothers William and Harry's outing after the queen's death was reportedly more uncomfortable than it looked, with an insider informing People that everybody involved was simply putting on a brave face for Her Majesty, quashing any hopes of them reaching a reconciliation.