Meghan and Harry ‘never wanted’ to be on palace balcony for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, friend claims

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex told the Queen they “never wanted” to be on the Buckingham Palace balcony at her Platinum Jubilee, a friend has claimed.

Harry and Meghan told the Queen they never wanted to be on the Buckingham Palace balcony at her Platinum Jubilee, a friend of the couple has claimed.

But the couple did insist on attending Her Majesty’s Thanksgiving Service, The Sun reports.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex say they will return for the four-day party marking the Queen’s 70 years on the throne, and bring their children, next month.

Harry and Meghan told the Queen they never wanted to be on the Buckingham Palace balcony at her Platinum Jubilee, a friend of the couple has claimed. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Harry had “spoken with his grandmother about the possibility of not attending Trooping the Colour long before last week’s announcements”. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Nervous courtiers and aides have yet to finalise which events they will attend.

The 96-year-old monarch controversially ordered that only working royals could appear on the balcony on June 2 – ruling out Harry and Meghan.

The 96-year-old monarch controversially ordered that only working royals could appear on the balcony on June 2 – ruling out Harry and Meghan. Picture: Sem van der Wal/ANP/AFP

But the pair’s biographer and friend Omid Scobie, author of Finding Freedom, denied they were “cut” from the balcony line-up and Trooping the Colour, which marks the Queen’s birthday.

Writing for Yahoo News, Scobie said Harry had “spoken with his grandmother about the possibility of not attending Trooping the Colour long before last week’s announcements”.

The Sussexes thought it “inappropriate” to appear at the “balcony moment” as they were no longer working royals, he added.

But they were “keen” to be part of the Jubilee and to attend the service on June 3.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Meghan and Harry ‘never wanted’ to be on palace balcony for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, friend claims