In her final weeks, Queen Elizabeth II reportedly experienced heartbreak due to an unfulfilled desire to gather her great-grandchildren at Balmoral. According to sources speaking to RadarOnline.com, the absence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle deprived her of a final family moment.
The monarch, who passed away at age 96 in September 2022 at Balmoral Castle after a 70-year reign, had wished to unite her extended family during the summer before her death, sources revealed.
Royal biographer Robert Hardman, in his book Queen Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story, notes Elizabeth’s desire to create lasting memories with her great-grandchildren, including Prince George, now 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, Prince Louis, seven, and Harry and Markle’s children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four.
The invitation was extended to the entire royal family, despite Harry and Meghan stepping back from royal duties in 2020.
There is regret within royal circles regarding the gathering. One insider commented: “The Queen’s final wish to have all her great-grandchildren together was not fulfilled in the way she had hoped, and that has left a lingering sadness among those who knew how much it meant to her.”
The absence of Harry and Meghan’s children at such a crucial moment is seen by some as an irrecoverable missed opportunity, essentially depriving the Queen of one of her dying wishes.
Hardman writes: “The Queen wanted all the great-grandchildren to come up to Balmoral at some point over that summer (in 2022), even if the Sussexes might not be able to make it.”
A family friend told Hardman: “(Elizabeth) wanted to make sure that they all had a really happy memory of her.”
The Wales family—Prince William, 43, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, 44—spent time at Balmoral during the summer of 2022 with their children.
Other great-grandchildren, like Savannah Phillips, Isla Phillips, Mia Tindall, Lena Tindall, Lucas Tindall, Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, and August Brooksbank, were also part of the family gathering.
However, Harry and Markle, who had traveled to the UK earlier in June 2022 with their children, are not believed to have visited Balmoral.
The reasons for their absence have been attributed to various logistical or personal issues.
In the months leading up to her death, Elizabeth reduced her public duties, missing several significant events such as her Platinum Jubilee service of thanksgiving and the Epsom Derby.
Nonetheless, she continued to fulfill engagements, including a privy council meeting and appointing Liz Truss as Britain’s prime minister just days before her death.
An official reflecting on her condition at that time told Hardman: “She was so brave. You could tell she was having a lot of treatment from the bruising on her hands where the cannula had gone in. Her hands seemed permanently bruised.”
Her final moments were documented by her private secretary, Edward Young, who noted that Elizabeth passed away in her sleep due to “old age,” and it was believed she “wouldn’t have been aware of anything” and wasn’t in “pain.”
Recently, Harry and Markle embarked on a tour of Australia without their children, which has faced considerable criticism as a “faux royal tour.”
