Royal Author Confirms What We Suspected About Meghan And Harry's Platinum Jubilee Snubs

In the weeks leading up to the queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, there was plenty of online scuttlebutt about how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would be received upon arriving back in their former home. The royal defectors spectacularly stepped down as senior working members of the family in early 2020, following ongoing issues with the British tabloid media and its harsh treatment of the former "Suits" star.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat down for a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which they laid out, in detail, just how tough it was being part of the monarchy. Per CBS News, the celebrity couple explained how they were consistently left to fend for themselves, even in the wake of demonstrably false and damaging stories being published about them, regardless of how much they were suffering.

Meghan and Harry also had trouble acquiring security protection after stepping down, leading the prince to tell Today that he was unsure about attending the Jubilee as a result. Fortunately, the Sussexes were given the requisite assurances in time to make the trip over (via The Mirror). 

Even so, the Queen reportedly stopped the Sussexes from overshadowing her Jubilee. And, now, there's reason to believe they were outright snubbed by her.

Tom Bower — "the undisputed Witchfinder General of contemporary biographers," as the Daily Mail so succinctly put it — has turned his attention to the Sussexes with his latest release, "Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors." 

Among other things, Bower purports to know the reason Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had a falling out with Victoria and David Beckham, and he even provided surprising details about Meghan's first marriage. 

Elsewhere, the royal author revealed that the infamous seating snub at the Jubilee was actually authorized by the queen herself. Newsweek reports that, during a recent chat on GB News, Bower claimed that the reason Meghan and Harry were sat far away from Prince Charles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton at the thanksgiving service at St. Paul's Cathedral was that the queen didn't want them grabbing attention. 

Moreover, Bower contended that "Meghan and Harry were late to get to St Paul's Cathedral deliberately so that they could make their own grand entrance." They even wanted to sit on the aisle but were forbidden from doing so. Furthermore, when Harry fought back against the usher's instructions, he was told "your grandmother" chose the seating arrangement herself.

Bower pointed to an "impeccable source" when questioned on the veracity of the claim, while Buckingham Palace declined to comment. It's worth noting that Meghan and Harry were well received by the public, emerging to cheers from the gathered crowds at the cathedral.

Although they were excited to return to the UK, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's time at the Jubilee didn't go as planned, with the celebrity couple reportedly receiving a cold reception from the other royals, per Us Weekly. 

In fact, per The Sun, the queen only spent 15 minutes with the Sussexes during her big celebratory weekend. Perhaps their relationship had soured long beforehand, as celebrity biographer Tom Bower asserts.

In an excerpt from "Revenge," published in The Sunday Times (via Page Six), Her Majesty is recounted as saying, "Thank goodness Meghan is not coming," in relation to the duchess being too pregnant to attend her late husband, Prince Philip's, funeral in 2021. The queen was speaking to some of her most trusted staffers on the day the service took place to honor the life of the beloved patriarch, to whom she was married for 73 years.

Harry notably attended the event alone and was spotted chatting amiably with his estranged brother, Prince William. He and Meghan later visited the queen together privately in April 2022 ahead of their appearance at the Invictus Games. It was just a couple months before the couple returned to Britain for the first time with their two children to attend the Jubilee.

There's reason to believe the queen was right to worry about Meghan Markle, in particular, stealing focus from her since author Tom Bower claims she and husband Prince Harry ultimately decided to relocate to California because the former "Suits" star couldn't stand sharing the spotlight. Express reports that, during an appearance on "GB News," Bower asserted although Meghan married for love, she also desperately wanted to increase her public profile.

"But in the end, very quickly, she discovered that she wasn't going to get the status of number one, which is what she wanted," Bower explained, adding, "There is only one number one in the royal family and the rest of the family is there to support the queen." Thus, Meghan realized Hollywood made more sense for her. Bower did acknowledge, however, the former actor was demonstrably successful in her goal, since she's now considerably more famous than before.

It might not have been worth it in the end, as it recently transpired that Meghan and Harry didn't actually receive the invite everyone thought they did. According to Page Six, despite a report to the contrary, published in The Sun, the couple was not invited to Balmoral, to spend time with the rest of Harry's family during the summer holidays. It remains to be seen who made the call, but judging by recent revelations, it might have been Her Majesty herself.