Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly not on the same page when it comes to their summer plans this year.
Insiders have said that Harry wants to make amends with his family and spend time at Balmoral Castle in Scotland — which has been a retreat for the Royal Family since 1852 — for his two children to build precious memories with their grandfather, King Charles.
Meghan, however, is said to prefer spending their time relaxing at their recently completed Portugal villa.
First world problems, yes. However, deciding which Euro trip to go for seems to have more consequences for Harry.
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He has been estranged from his father, Charles, and brother, Prince William, since he and Meghan stepped down as senior royals in 2020.
Harry and Meghan don’t have long to decide either, as reports have stated that their summer holiday will commence as soon as Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, finish school in June.
The children have not seen the king in person since 2022, during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee weekend.
Despite a source telling Closer that the Portuguese villa will be the family’s base as they travel ‘back and forth for engagements and private visits,’ they revealed that ‘Harry is pushing hard for a family stay at Balmoral this summer while he and Meghan are based in Europe.’
The insider claimed that Harry ‘hopes of arranging a private meeting with King Charles’ and is ‘determined to make it happen.’
They said the prince ‘genuinely believes Balmoral could be the place where things finally start healing.’
‘In Harry’s mind, it’s the perfect setting for Charles to spend proper time with Archie and Lilibet,’ the source said.
‘Harry feels time is precious and that the children need to see their grandfather now. There’s a growing urgency around wanting the children to have memories with Charles.’
However, they also said that ‘Meghan still doesn’t feel fully comfortable in Britain,’ which could scupper Harry’s plans altogether.
They explained that ‘security concerns are very real to her, especially with the children involved.’
After retreating from their royal roles, Harry and Meghan were stripped of their taxpayer-funded police protection.
In May last year, Prince Harry then lost a legal challenge to have this protection reinstated when visiting the UK.
In a BBC interview after the ruling, Harry said it wasn’t safe to bring his family back to the country because he could not guarantee their safety.
The Duke of Sussex currently pays for a private security team, which he says does not have the proper jurisdiction to protect his family in Great Britain.
The insider added that the ‘situation is said to be causing strain between the couple.’
A source also previously suggested that the royal family are feeling ‘anxious about having the brothers in the same room again.’
They said: ‘While Harry holds onto hope, William is still furious about his behaviour. There are so many unresolved feelings between them, and the family fear that William’s ready to unleash how he feels, which could even lead to an altercation.’
Alongside William, the source claimed that Kate was ‘deeply uneasy’ about the potential Balmoral situation and that the couple feels boundaries must stay in place.
‘They’ve made it clear they don’t want a situation where Harry and Meghan slowly start drifting back into the fold,’ they said. ‘There’s a concern that once the door opens even slightly, it becomes harder to control.’
The insider said that, even though Kate sympathises and ‘understands that Harry misses his family and wants his children to know their grandfather,’ she ‘also remembers the hurt and chaos of the past few years.’
‘She doesn’t want the family pulled back into that cycle again.’
Earlier this year, it was rumoured that the monarch extended a huge olive branch to Harry, Meghan and their two children, inviting them to stay at his Scottish residence.
It came after the news that Harry would be returning to England in 2027 for the Invictus Games, which are set to be held in Birmingham.
‘This is Charles’ most personal residence,’ a source told ShuterScoop. ‘Offering Harry and Meghan time at Balmoral is an enormous gesture. It signals trust, forgiveness, and a genuine desire to heal.’
But it was said that Prince William wasn’t a fan of the invite.
The insider added that he ‘strongly opposed’ the offer and that he ‘believes it’s too much, too soon — and fears it could reopen wounds that have barely begun to heal’, whereas Charles ‘knows time is precious’ and that family comes before protocol.