The Sussexes will not accompany the King in honouring the anniversary of the Queen's death. Photo / AP
The Sussexes will not accompany the King in honouring the anniversary of the Queen's death. Photo / AP
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not join the Royal family at Balmoral for the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, even though the couple will be in Europe.
The monarch will mark the one-year anniversary since he ascended the throne in his mother’s beloved Scottish highlands, where she died on September 8 last year.
It was reported that the Duke and Duchess were snubbed from a family gathering to commemorate the occasion, but it is now understood that no such gathering will be taking place.
Instead, members of the Royal family will be going in and out of the monarch’s Scottish estate during their summer holidays.
However, the Sussexes will not visit the King in Balmoral, even though the couple will reportedly both be attending the Invictus Games in Germany, starting on September 9.
It is understood that the King and Queen will be marking the anniversary of his mother’s death privately in quiet reflection on the estate, without other family members present.
On her final offical royal duty on September 6 2022, Queen Elizabeth greets newly elected leader of the Conservative party Liz Truss as she arrives at Balmoral Castle for an audience where she was invited to become prime minister and form a new government. Photo / Getty Images
Balmoral is a place that will be forever associated with the late Queen – her “happy place” and where she spent her final weeks before her death aged 96.
By marking the anniversary in this way, the King is following in the footsteps of his late mother, who almost always spent her accession day – February 6 – at Sandringham.
The Norfolk estate is where her father, King George VI, died peacefully in his sleep in 1952 after suffering from lung cancer.
She would usually receive a local vicar for private prayers in memory of her father as she marked the milestone in private.
In a similar way, Their Majesties are not expected to carry out any public engagements during that week, which also coincides with the start of the Invictus Games.
The Duke of Sussex will travel to Düsseldorf in Germany, where the Invictus Games is being hosted. Photo / Getty Images
The Duke of Sussex will travel to Düsseldorf in Germany, where the event is being hosted, to support his sports tournament for sick and wounded veterans.
At the same time last year, the Sussexes made a short visit to the German city to boost the profile of the Games, one of the Duke’s key patronages.
The royal couple took part in a whirlwind trip to Europe in early September and were in Britain only by coincidence when news of the late Queen’s failing health emerged.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry meet members of the public at Windsor Castle, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, in Windsor, England, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. Photo / AP
They had not managed to see the Queen during their visit and the Duke’s Home Office security row meant that he was advised that their lack of protection meant flying to Scotland was unwise.
The anniversary of the late Queen’s death will come midway through the King’s annual break in Scotland, where he will continue royal tradition by gathering the wider family together for their usual countryside walks, grouse shooting, fishing and picnics.
The monarch is staying first at the Castle of Mey, the home that once belonged to his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. As is tradition, he is expected to attend the Mey Highland Games in Caithness on Saturday.
Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla stand on the balcony of the Buckingham Palace after their coronation, in London, Saturday, May 6, 2023. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)
He is expected to then travel to Birkhall, his private home on the Balmoral estate, and will remain in Scotland until the beginning of October.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussex, who turned 42 on Friday, was pictured celebrating her birthday with an evening out in Montecito with the Duke.
The couple were seen smiling and laughing as they were pictured leaving the Italian restaurant Tre Lune, which is a favourite among celebrities in the area.
It marked their second public appearance together within days, after they were recorded making surprise telephone calls to young entrepreneurs on Wednesday.
The couple were filmed as they made congratulatory calls from the bright garden of their California home to some of the recipients of the first-ever Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund grants.
The Duke and Duchess’s Archewell Foundation is a “proud founding member” of the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund initiative and is part of the advisory committee.
