Prince Harry is said to be ‘upset’ at being unable to travel to Balmoral to spend time with his brother and grandmother – while his wife Meghan is reportedly ‘too busy’ to worry about it.
The Sussexes had been invited to join the annual getaway in Scotland, and in March reportedly accepted the invitation.
By June, with the scale of the pandemic becoming clear, it was increasingly obvious that the trip would not happen.
And the prince is reportedly frustrated ‘that he can’t make’ the journey, due to the coronavirus crisis, according to insiders who spoke to In Touch Weekly.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are notably missing from the Royal party in Balmoral
The 35-year-old Duke of Sussex would likely raise eyebrows by traveling during the pandemic, even though he likely could if he wished to – albeit with lengthy stays in quarantine.
The UK requires anyone flying from the US to quarantine for 14 days after arrival.
The return journey would be more problematic, as the US government has ruled that anybody who has been in the United Kingdom during the past 14 days may not enter the United States at this time.
But there are exceptions for US citizens, legal permanent residents, and their immediate family members – so Harry would be able to get in as Meghan is a citizen.
But it’s likely the family would still need to quarantine after arriving back in LA.
Meghan, however, is reportedly not concerned that the couple can’t make the trip, In Touch Weekly reported.
‘[She] doesn’t feel like she’s missing out,’ an ‘insider’ said.
‘She’s been too busy decorating their new Montecito mansion.’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their $14 million Californian mansion in July, and have been working on making it their home.
The Scottish castle, built by Queen Victoria, has hosted summer gatherings for over 150 years
Prince Harry and his wife, however, have opted to remain at their Los Angeles mansion
Harry has missed the annual gathering in Scotland for the past two years.
Last year he and the Duchess intended to go during the first week of September, but later decided that Archie, then aged four months, was too young to travel. Meghan instead flew to New York to cheer on her friend Serena Williams at the US Open.
The trip to Balmoral is an annual event in the Royal calendar.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived in Scotland on August 4 for the start of their summer holiday.
They had previously been isolating at Windsor Castle, and traveled by car to RAF Northolt, in west London, where they boarded a private jet.
They were followed by royal aides carrying luggage and a pair of dorgis, the Queen’s beloved dogs which are a cross between a dachshund and a Welsh corgi.
It was the first time they had left Windsor Castle since March.
Prince William traveled to Scotland with his wife and their three children on August 28 in what is believed to be the first time he has seen the Queen, 94, and Prince Philip, 99, since the coronavirus pandemic began.
The Grampian Police Pipe Band is pictured playing at Balmoral Castle in Scotland
Prince William and Prince Harry are pictured with their parents at Balmoral in 1988
The brothers spent every summer on the Scottish estate, with the rest of the family
The Queen is pictured in 2017 welcoming the Governor-General of Australia to the castle
Family members spend their time at the castle stalking deer, shooting grouse and fishing for salmon – something which animal rights defender Meghan may not find amusing.
Both William and his Harry, hunted and shot from a young age. They were so enthusiastic that their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, jokingly dubbed them her ‘Killer Wales’.
On Saturday William took his seven-year-old son, Prince George, on the grouse shoot with the family.
Prince William and Kate Middleton, pictured on August 5, have taken their children to Balmoral
Meghan Markle was invited last year, but went to the final of the US Open in New York instead
Harry and Meghan have appearanced on Zoom and via social media promoting their causes
Royal sources said Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Tim Laurence, were also present, as was her son Peter Phillips, who was staying on the estate with his daughters, Savannah and Isla.
It is not believed that Peter’s estranged wife Autumn was with them. The couple announced earlier this year that they were amicably divorcing.
Prince Edward and son James, Viscount Severn, 12, also took part in the shoot and were joined by his wife Sophie and daughter Lady Louise, 16, for lunch.
Neither the Queen, who still attends the lunch parties, nor Charles and Camilla were believed to have been present – possibly because the 94-year-old sovereign was concerned about breaking her ‘Balmoral bubble’.
Family members will not stay in the castle with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh as they have done in previous years and will instead be housed in other properties in the grounds of the 50,000-acre estate.
Although many summer shoots take place in the hills above her Aberdeenshire estate, the monarch also owns 2,940 hectares of private grouse moor at Corgarff and 4,688 hectares of sporting rights rented from a neighbor.
Even Kate has been photographed with a gun in her hands over the years, having shot grouse and pheasants.
She and her parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, have been taught to stalk deer on the Queen’s Scottish estate.
Since meeting his wife Meghan, Harry has hunted significantly less – although he did take part in the annual Boxing Day pheasant shoot at Sandringham in 2018. The duchess is known not to approve, although claims she had ‘banned’ him were wide of the mark.