Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were reportedly denied a request to join the Bidens on Air Force One during their return to the United States following Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral in September.
The reason for the refusal, according to the White House, was to avoid any potential “commotion.”
The rapport between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the British royal family has been tense, a condition that originated from their revealing 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. The death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96 on September 8 further exacerbated the already strained relationship between Harry and Meghan and the royal family.
In the midst of their charitable endeavors in the UK, Harry and Meghan were not invited to a pre-funeral reception at Buckingham Palace, an event that hosted members of the royal family as well as President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. At the subsequent funeral service at Westminster Abbey, they were placed in the second row behind the royals, an unmistakable manifestation of their estrangement.
Eager to expedite their exit from the uneasy situation, the couple’s staff approached the White House for a return trip to the US on Air Force One. But the request was summarily denied, primarily due to concerns about potential fallout on relations with the Palace and the newly coronated King.
The matter of who would bear the costs of Harry and Meghan’s flight was also left unsettled. While the Bidens have the authority to invite passengers on Air Force One, the costs of these trips are generally met by taxpayers during official government visits. In contrast, private individuals or organizations must shoulder their own travel expenses.
This episode comes on the heels of another in April 2022, when an invitation from Harry and Meghan to First Lady Jill Biden to attend the Invictus Games in The Hague was declined. Due to the couple’s lowered status within the royal family, British officials reportedly had reservations about her attendance. As a result, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and his husband were chosen to represent the United States at the event.
