Remember when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quietly visited Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle just before they flew to the Hague for the Invictus Games? It was an amazing operation because there were absolutely zero leaks about their visit ahead of time. It was abundantly clear that Clarence House and Kensington Palace had no idea that Harry and Meghan were flying in. I’ve long suspected that the Queen managed to keep most of her aides in the dark about the visit ahead of time too, and that the visit was likely arranged with the help of the Queen herself, plus Princess Eugenie.
I bring that up because the Jubbly was a lot different. After the Queen personally requested Harry and Meghan’s presence, the Sussexes had to coordinate with the Palace for their visit. Which is why there was so much advanced hysteria, because all of the royal courts leak like sieves. The leaking has obviously continued post-Jubbly, as everyone on Salt Island desperately tries to convince themselves that Harry is “haunted” by the royal “snubbing.” The Jubbly was also the moment for the Queen’s aides to suddenly act like gatekeepers and punish Harry and Meghan by limiting their time with the Queen.
The Queen met Prince Harry and Meghan for just 15 minutes when they returned to the UK for her Platinum Jubilee. Their time with the monarch — who got to see the couple’s daughter Lilibet, one, for the first time — was kept “formal” by Buckingham Palace aides.
Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, who were also with son Archie, three, saw the Queen at Windsor on Thursday, June 2, as the Jubilee celebrations got under way. A source said: “It was a quick in and out job. It was all quite formal.”
Buckingham Palace declined to comment. The Sun told on Tuesday how the Sussexes were banned from bringing a photographer to Windsor Castle to capture the moment The Queen met namesake Lilibet. The pair were then kept at arm’s length by senior royals during the Jubilee.
[From The Sun]
I think the Queen’s aides want people to believe that they have a tight rein on who sees the Queen and for how long but the Queen does whatever she wants at this point. My guess is that they wanted to keep everything very formal and rigid, and then the Queen asked the Sussexes to pop around again for tea. Sussex sources have already said that Harry and Meghan saw the Queen at least twice, which I believe. So one formal stage-managed visit with aides hovering around, and then what? Probably the Sussexes going by Windsor Castle on Friday the 3rd or Saturday the 4th. I also think this story is yet more “punishment” specifically for Harry and Meghan’s quiet April visit.
…It’s also pretty gross that the aides are crowing about limiting Harry & Meghan’s time with the Queen, given that Prince Andrew reportedly drops by the castle unannounced every day and mooches meals.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.
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