Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were reportedly denied a request to travel with the Bidens on Air Force One during their return to the US following Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral in September 2022.
According to the White House, the couple’s request was turned down to prevent a potential “commotion.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s relationship with the British royal family has been fraught since their explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. The passing of Queen Elizabeth II at 96 on September 8 added to this tension, as the sequence of events that followed only served to further isolate Harry and Meghan.
While the couple was present in the UK for charitable activities, they were conspicuously absent from a pre-funeral reception held at Buckingham Palace. This event was attended by other members of the royal family, including President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. During the funeral service at Westminster Abbey, the couple was seated in the second row behind the other royals, visibly marking their strained relationship.
In an effort to quickly leave the tense environment, the Sussexes’ staff reached out to the White House to arrange a return flight to the US on Air Force One. This request, however, was promptly and unequivocally denied over concerns about potential repercussions on the relationship with the Palace and the newly ascended King.
An additional ambiguity was the question of who would bear the cost of the Sussexes’ travel. The Bidens, although having the freedom to extend invitations to others on Air Force One, usually have such trips funded by taxpayers during official government visits. But private individuals or organizations must pay for their own expenses.
This refusal comes after a similar incident in April 2022 when Jill Biden declined Harry and Meghan’s invitation to attend the Invictus Games in The Hague. Her presence was allegedly a cause of discomfort for British officials due to the couple’s dwindling status within the royal family. Instead, the US was represented at the event by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and his husband.
