Meghan Markle skipping UK visit with Prince Harry ‘prompts huge sigh of relief from Kensington Palace’ as King Charles is set to ‘reach out’ to Prince Archie on his birthday, royal expert claims
Meghan Markle skipping out on an upcoming visit to the UK with Prince Harry has ‘prompted a huge sigh of relief from Kensington Palace’ – as King Charles is set to ‘reach out’ to Prince Archie on his birthday, a royal expert has claimed.
The Duke of Sussex, whose son Archie is celebrating his fifth birthday today, will attend a service at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
Royal expert Tom Quinn has claimed that royal aides were quietly relieved that the Duchess of Sussex won’t be joining her husband for the UK leg of his trip – instead meeting Harry in Nigeria afterwards.
Speaking to The Mirror, the expert claimed: ‘At Kensington Palace there was a huge sigh of relief when it was confirmed that Meghan would not be accompanying her husband to the UK.’
What’s more, the expert also claimed King Charles is ‘desperate’ to have a relationship with Archie and Lilibet, who are being raised in California.
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He also told The Mirror that the monarch ‘dislikes new technology’ and is ‘uncomfortable’ with the idea of making a video call.
The expert continued: ‘If he makes an ordinary telephone call to Harry it means he can have a quick word with Archie without the need to talk to Meghan.’
In April 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Archie video-called the late Queen to wish her a happy 94th birthday – with the couple reportedly instructing their spokesman to email a selection of hand-picked publications to share the news shortly afterwards.
Ahead of his visit this week, it was reported Prince Harry was ‘very keen’ to see his father during his trip to the UK.
The Duke is said to have ‘kept in regular contact’ with King Charles following his shock cancer diagnosis in February.
After recently announcing he was resuming his public duties, the King is set to attend Buckingham Palace’s first garden party of the year from 4pm on Wednesday.
The garden party and the Invictus Games ceremony are both expected to finish at around 6pm, allowing the two to meet in person for the first time since February, the Sun reports.
‘It’s clear he is keen to see his father as he continues his recovery and most people expect another reunion of some kind next week,’ the source said.
However, any such meeting will probably not include the attendance of Prince William.
On Thursday, William is likely to be away from London and he has engagements in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly on Friday.
Nigerians are ‘excited’ to welcome their ‘daughter’ Meghan Markle for a royal visit with her husband next month after Prince Harry attends an event in London.
Social media users with links to the country said they were ‘overwhelmed with joy’ and promised a ‘celebration’ to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
It comes after Meghan revealed in 2022 that she found out she was ’43 per cent Nigerian’ following genealogy research carried out ‘a couple of years’ prior.
The couple will head to Nigeria after being invited by the African country’s chief of defence staff, who met Harry last September at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf.
Daniel Egwu, who lives in Enugu in Nigeria, tweeted: ‘I’m excited about this news! Our beloved sister, Meghan and our brother-in-law, Harry are welcome to Nigeria!’
Another X user wrote: ‘Harry and Meghan are coming to Nigeria in May! We cannot wait to welcome them! And our good sis is coming home for the first time. We have been waiting since she discovered she’s a daughter of the soil.’
Meghan’s Nigerian heritage was referenced by Harry at the opening ceremony of the Dusseldorf Invictus Games last September, after Nigeria joined Colombia and Israel in sending their first-ever delegation to the event.
‘We’re really excited to have new nations join us. Let’s hear it for Colombia, Israel and Nigeria,’ Harry told the crowd at the Merkur Spiel-Arena.
‘Now, I’m not saying we play favourites in our home, but since my wife discovered she is of Nigerian descent, it’s likely to get a little bit more competitive this year!’
