Why Prince Harry And Meghan Likely Won't Join Queen At Balmoral, According To Royal Commentator

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are unlikely to travel to Scotland, according to a royal commentator, amid reports claiming that Queen Elizabeth II invited them to her Scottish estate Balmoral for the summer.

On Thursday, the 96-year-old monarch was spotted leaving her royal residence of Windsor Castle to travel to her Balmoral estate, where she traditionally retreats in the late summer months, People reported. She wore a floral patterned dress, her go-to three-strand pearl necklace and tinted glasses for the car ride.

Balmoral Castle will remain open to the public until Aug. 2 this year, so the Queen will likely spend the next couple of weeks staying elsewhere on the estate — possibly her private Scottish country home Craigowan Lodge, which is about a mile away from the castle — before she officially moves in, according to the outlet.

Weeks after the Sussexes headed to the U.K. for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, multiple reports surfaced recently that the monarch has invited Prince Harry, Markle and their children, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, to join her at Balmoral as an "olive branch."

However, Neil Sean, a royal commentator and reporter who has been featured on Fox News, Sky News Australia, NBC News, MSNBC and Access Hollywood, "debunked" the report on his YouTube channel, claiming that Prince Harry and Markle "missed an opportunity to be included" on the roster of royals who will be visiting the Queen in the castle this summer.

Sean noted that members of the royal family visit Queen Elizabeth at the estate at different times to ensure the elderly monarch is not "overworked and overtired."

"But are Harry and Meghan returning? Did she make the invite? According to a very good source, the monarch is always open. But according to another good source within palace circles, Harry and Meghan have no plans to return to [the U.K.] until their security detail [concerns are] met to their fullest," Sean claimed.

International Business Times could not independently verify this information.

He speculated that aside from security concerns, Markle may have no desire or interest in returning to Balmoral because "it's all about hunting, barbecues, sitting out in the cold and walks in the highlands."

But Sean concluded that the Sussexes are unlikely to travel there until the U.K. government grants them the right to have or to pay for police protection when they visit the country.

Prince Harry and Markle previously enjoyed a relaxing break at the Scottish estate after their May 2018 royal wedding, The Sunday Times reported. At the time, they joined Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

In 2019, the couple was not able to join the Queen at Balmoral as they were still adjusting to life as new parents to son Archie. Also, Prince Harry was the guest of honor at the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final, while Markle was on maternity leave and returned to work in September that year.

Prince Harry and Markle reportedly agreed to visit Balmoral in the summer of 2020 but were unable to travel due to restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Hello! magazine.

After stepping back as working royals and moving to California, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reunited with the Queen twice.

They visited her at Windsor Castle in April before they headed to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games. The couple also brought their two children, Archie and Lilibet, to see Queen Elizabeth when they returned to London for the Platinum Jubilee festivities in June.