Harry and Meghan won't join royals at Balmoral since they didn't receive a "personal olive branch" from the King: expert

Apparently, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are "not expected" at Balmoral Castle this summer, as various members of the Royal Family travel up to Scotland for their traditional retreat for the first time since the late Queen passed away.

If you've been following royal news at all over the past handful of years, you likely won't be surprised at all that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not super keen to spend time in Balmoral — and that the royals are at the very least on the fence about welcoming the couple there.

But there's a bit more to this particular story this year, according to one royal author.

Harry and Meghan "have been given an 'open invite' to join family gatherings by the Palace, but no personal olive branch has been extended by the King for the summer getaway," Robert Jobson wrote in the Express.

Robert added that a source told him, "There is not much dialogue if any between the King and his second son."

Since Harry and Meghan stepped down from their roles as senior royals and swapped Windsor for the sunshine of Southern California, they seem to have drifted further and further away from the UK-based royals.

Harry ended up attending his father King Charles' Coronation in May, but otherwise the Sussexes have pretty much kept their distance from the King and Queen, and the Prince and Princess of Wales in recent years.

Meanwhile, the royals who are going to Balmoral this month will definitely have a slightly strange and bittersweet experience there, since the residence was famously one of the late Queen's favourite places to visit — and she was their gracious host every summer until last.

Significantly, Balmoral is also where the Queen passed away on 8 September 2022, so her family will surely be finding ways to honour her memory as they make new ones at the royal residence.