Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex has reportedly requested a one-on-one meeting with King Charles III before she and Prince Harry return to the U.S. following the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
According to royal expert Neil Sean, Markle has sent a private letter to the king via a senior royal attendant requesting a private audience.
Sean said in a YouTube video posted Saturday that Markle asked for the meeting in order to “clear the air” and “explain some of the rationale behind what they’ve been doing over the last two years.”
Sean said it was unclear whether Markle’s request would be honored. “Truthfully, we have no idea if this is going to go forward,” he said.
The relationship between Markle and the royal family has been described as “strained” by royal commentators like Sky News’ Angela Levin since she and Harry resigned from their official duties in 2020 and moved to California.
Their high-profile interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 set off a firestorm of controversy for the royal family, with Markle accusing the family of mistreating her and commenting on the possible skin tone of her and Harry’s son Archie.
She told Winfrey there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”
The interview led to an extremely rare statement from Buckingham Palace on behalf of the queen that read, “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.
“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”
Has Markle permanently damaged her relationship with the royals?
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According to the New York Post, the BBC’s royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell speculated that Markle stayed behind in London on Sept. 8 while Harry traveled to Scotland to be with the queen before her death due to a concern that “she might not be terribly warmly welcomed.”
During most of Elizabeth’s memorial ceremonies, Harry, who was stripped of his military honors when he and Markle stepped down as working royals, was not permitted to wear a uniform or salute the queen alongside his family members.
King Charles III, the Prince of Wales, and the Princess Royal salute, whilst the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of York bow their heads, as the Bearer Party from Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards carry the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II
Pic PA pic.twitter.com/QnxJYK77RS
— Elliot Wagland (@elliotwagland) September 14, 2022
However, he was given permission to don his uniform for the queen’s vigil on Saturday.
