Why Kate Middleton wasn’t at Balmoral when Queen Elizabeth died

As Queen Elizabeth lay dying in September 2022, royals raced to be by her side at Balmoral Castle.

Prince William quickly jetted from England to the Scottish estate, alongside Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

However, Princess Kate did not join them, sparking speculation that she was not extended an invitation by the family.

However, royal author Robert Hardman reveals in his new book, The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, that it was Kate’s decision to stay behind.

In an excerpt published by the Daily Mail, he noted that Kate, 42, decided to remain in England with children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

The trio were starting the first day of classes at Lambrook school and Kate wanted to ensure that her children began the school year with some stability.

At the time, reports surfaced that Prince Harry’s wife Meghan Markle was ordered to stay home in Montecito, Calif while her husband raced to Scotland.

Kate’s decision to stay in England allegedly made it easier for royals to tell Harry that Meghan was not welcome at Balmoral.

“It was by luck rather than judgement, but it made it a lot easier to tell Harry he was coming alone,” a palace aide told Hardman for his book.

 Like the late Duke of Edinburgh, she [Queen Elizabeth] did not like a queue of family well-wishers flocking to her bedside when ill,” he penned.

In the Duke of Sussex’s 2023 memoir “Spare,” he described the experience surrounding his late grandmother’s passing, writing that his father King Charles had called him to tell him that she was nearing the end of life.

He added that he had tried to fly with William to Balmoral, however, his older brother reportedly ignored him.

“She was up at Balmoral, of course. Those beautiful, melancholy late-summer days. He hung up—he had many other calls to make — and I immediately texted Willy to ask whether he and Kate were flying up. If so, when? And how? No response. Meg and I looked at flight options,” he scribed.

The 39-year-old went on: “He said I was welcome at Balmoral, but he didn’t want…her. He started to lay out his reason, which was nonsensical, and disrespectful, and I wasn’t having it. Don’t ever speak about my wife that way.”

Harry then explained that the text said that “no other wives were coming, Kate wasn’t coming, he said, therefore Meg shouldn’t.”

In the end, Harry chartered a plane for just himself and he missed saying goodbye to the Queen as the news of her passing occurred prior to his touchdown in Scotland.