Prince Harry ‘keen to return to Balmoral’ – but Meghan never will | Royal | News

Prince Harry would love his children to enjoy a traditional Scottish summer on the royal estate Balmoral, making memories with his father and their grandfather, King Charles, it has been reported. The prince revisited childhood memories of summers at Balmoral Castle in his memoir, Spare, and now it seems he is keen for his own children to enjoy a summer in Scotland with the Royal Family.

However, Meghan is thought to be somewhat reluctant, and her summer plans, already evolving as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet is said to break up from school next month. The Duke of Sussex, 39, began his notorious memoir, published in January 2023, with a reflection about what the Scottish sanctuary meant to him growing up.

He wrote: “To me, Balmoral was always simply Paradise. A cross between Disney World and some sacred Druid grove. I was always too busy fishing, shooting, running up and down ‘the hill’ to notice anything off about the feng shui of the old castle,” he continued, referring to legends about the residence.

“What I’m trying to say is I was happy there,” he continued. “In fact, it’s possible that I was never happier than that one golden summer day at Balmoral: August 30, 1997.”

It was, of course, to come to an abrupt end when he and Prince William were given the devastating news by their father, that their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, had been killed in a car crash in Paris.

Nevertheless, in Spare, Prince Harry goes on to describe the Royal Family’s annual Balmoral respite as “its own micro-season” in the Scottish Highlands between the summer and fall, and that the first of their two-week stay there was mostly spent outdoors.

“My family lived to be outdoors, especially Granny, who got cross if she didn’t breathe at least an hour of fresh air each day,” he wrote.

He also reminisced about a Balmoral menu of fish fingers, cottage pies, roast chicken and green peas for him and Prince William,

However, according to reports, Prince Harry and Meghan are not on the same page regarding their summer plans this year.

While insiders have said that Harry wants to make amends with his family and spend time at Balmoral, allowing his two children to build precious memories with their grandfather, King Charles, Meghan is said to prefer the prospect of spending their time relaxing at their recently completed villa in Portugal.

They said the prince “genuinely believes Balmoral could be the place where things finally start healing”, reports the Metro.

“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.”

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said: “When one has idyllic childhood memories of a place, it is only natural to want to share it with your nearest and dearest. It is therefore unsurprising that he reportedly cherishes a wish to take Archie and Lili to Balmoral to see King Charles.

“It is unlikely to be part of his expected visit in July when the Invictus Games celebrate “One Year to Go” before Birmingham next year, as the King will not be at Balmoral at that time. However, if Harry and Meghan go to Portugal later in the year, where they have a home, a visit would be a possibility when he is in residence from mid-August.”

But Mr Fitzwilliams points out that the Scottish getaway isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. He added: “Balmoral is, however, not everyone’s idea of paradise.

“Harry found it to be. Diana, famously, hated it. Meghan is unlikely to warm to the idea of visiting Balmoral, its sporting activities, such as hunting and deer stalking and its outdoor ethos do not appeal.”

Indeed, Prince Harry even sold his handmade hunting rifles in 2020 and gave up the sport out of respect for Meghan’s strong animal rights views.

Although it was reported that Meghan “banned” him from the pastime, their mutual friend, conservationist Jane Goodall, indicated it was Harry’s own decision to stop aligning with his wife’s ethical beliefs.

It was also thought that the couple were invited to Balmoral by the late Queen Elizabeth between 2017 and 2019, but declined.

Mr Fitzwilliams believes it is more likely that Prince Harry would bring his children to Scotland without Meghan.

He added: “If Harry were ever to get close to some of his family again, he would be more sensible to do it alone and take his grandchildren with him without Meghan, at least to start with.

“King Charles would obviously be delighted to see Archie and Lili again. However, the Sussexes’ recent behaviour and their recent speeches make ending the royal grift even more of a challenge. Perhaps Balmoral is the place to start to end it?”