Of course Prince Harry and Meghan Markle won’t mark the summer months at Balmoral Castle like the rest of the Royal Family this year.
They haven’t stepped foot in the Scottish residence together since 2018, and they’re not going to make any changes to that.
Why would they come back now when they didn’t make the trip last summer for Queen Elizabeth II’s final months?
Harry and Meghan have said their peace and left it very clear that their time in the Royal Family was not an enjoyable one – being sure to hammer home the message in their Oprah interview, Netflix docu-series, Harry’s memoir and promotional interviews.
Turning down the open-ended invitation is no snub either – as skipping the summer break will come as a welcome sigh of relief to King Charles and Prince William especially.
Relations between Harry and his family remain icy – with the Duke having effectively been frozen out from communications.
His brother remains livid over Harry’s decision to air Firm secrets, lash out at close family members and openly criticise the institution he was born to serve and protect.
The King meanwhile is more diplomatic and wants to repair his relationship with his youngest son, but it’s not easily done with the glare of the world’s media and 5,000 miles between them.
But Balmoral is hardly the place for a family reunion and tense peace talks – it’s one of the few times of the year that the Firm can sit back and relax, away from the pressures of royal life and the public gaze.
The King will want to spend the time recuperating and reflecting on his first year as monarch and the first summer without his mother’s company.
Painting, reading and fishing in the stunning Scottish highlands is on the agenda – not making awkward conversation and having to be extra careful about anything he says in case it ends up on the front cover of a US magazine or used as content in Harry’s next book or Netflix show.
Moreover, his presence risks jeopardising the attendance of other royals – after the Coronation was so carefully orchestrated to avoid Harry and William becoming face to face.
William won’t want to be there at the same time as his younger brother, so another plan would have to be put in place to ensure their paths do not cross.
Harry and Meghan’s absence at Balmoral this year is not a snub and they won’t be missed.
They will surely blame the travel involved for them and their young children, Archie, four and Lilibet, two, but it all boils down to the fact that Sussexes know they’re not really welcome.
As the past few months have shown, it’s best to hunker down in sunny California than risk haemorrhaging more support or face another embarrassing satire mocking them.
