Balmoral Snub Mystery Trip: Defiant Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Took Prince Archie on 'Secret Holiday' Instead

In 2019, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry chose not to join the royal family's annual trip to Balmoral, instead opting for a secret holiday with their newborn son, Archie.

Royal author Tom Bower claims in his book Revenge that Meghan felt Archie "was too young to travel to Scotland." Instead, the couple took him to Ibiza and later to Nice, staying at Elton John's villa.

If reports are to be believed, this would mean the duo "vehemently lied" to the late Queen Elizabeth II, who would have personally sent the new family an invite to vacation in the Highlands. Instead, the royal rebels opted for the Eastern coast of Spain as the months began to dwindle down before "Megxit" in January 2020. The pair would go on to snub the Queen again that Christmas by turning down an invite to spend the festive season with the royals at Sandringham.

It is also speculated that the King and Queen Camilla will spend most of their summer vacation at nearby Birkhall, leaving the castle largely abandoned for the second summer in a row since the early reign of Queen Victoria in the mid-nineteenth century. The monarch is expected to host official receptions at the main property, including the traditional weekend where the Prime Minister and his spouse vacation with the royals.

The yearly transport of the royal court to Balmoral will continue as Charles III spends his second holiday in the Highlands since the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022. She became the first reigning monarch to die at the castle, and that day will mark the second commemoration of Charles' "Accession Day," which will feature gun salutes around the country.

The holiday is a time for the King and Queen to escape from public view, even though the monarch is still required to fulfill his duties with the "red boxes" of state papers sent to him every day. The massive property belongs solely to the Sovereign, unlike state holdings such as Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. It has long been difficult for the paparazzi to get anywhere near Balmoral because of this.

Since Elizabeth II remained on the throne for over 70 years, several members of her family developed their own private residences on the grounds of the castle. This means that Balmoral itself may not be used as much as it was during her lengthy reign.

The royal family's summer vacation in Scotland is expected to last from late July through late September or early October, which is the same timeframe Elizabeth II remained on the estate.

Daily Mirror reported on Bower's book excerpts.