More Details Revealed on Meghan Markle Absence from Queen Elizabeth II's Funeral
Rana Atef
More details on Meghan Markle's absence from the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Just days before the late Queen Elizabeth II's death, Harry and Meghan traveled to the UK for work commitments. This visit marked the couple's last joint trip to the country.
Since 2022, Meghan has not visited the UK, and their children have not been to their father's homeland since the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022.
A few hours before the Queen's passing, a palace spokesperson announced that Harry and Meghan were traveling to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to say their goodbyes to the 96-year-old monarch.
However, according to The Daily Express, Meghan was later excluded due to a "change of plans."
At the time, reports indicated that King Charles requested Meghan to stay behind, allowing Harry to visit his grandmother alone. The same request was reportedly made to Princess Kate, Prince William's wife.
In his book Charles III: New King, New Court, The Inside Story, author Robert Hardman states that King Charles asked Meghan not to visit the late Queen so that royal family members could bid their final farewell without being drawn into unnecessary internal conflicts.
In his memoir Spare, Harry recalled feeling a sense of calm knowing that Kate would also not be attending. He wrote: "Meghan and I discussed our travel options... The press began calling; we could no longer delay the decision. We asked our team to confirm: We would miss the WellChild Awards and rush to Scotland."
Harry continued: "Then another call came from my father… He said I was welcome at Balmoral, but he didn't want her there. He started giving his excuse, which was illogical and disrespectful. I wasn't having it, and I told him, 'Never talk about my wife that way.'"
He added: "He stammered and apologized, saying he simply didn't want too many people around. He said no other wives would be coming—not even Kate—so Meghan shouldn't either."
read more
15 Ludicrous Cosplay Costumes That Will Blow You Away
Watch... Dorra's natural beauty will blow your mind in latest photo session
Exercising For As Little As 150 Minutes A Week Will Make You Happier، Study Claims
ARIES: Your Horoscope for April 7
FDA Now Considers Vaping A Rising Epidemic In High School
Lifestyle
How to make Dried salted fish (feseekh) -By Chef El-Sherbini
Lifestyle
Batarekh Dip & Sardine Dip
Lifestyle
Best of Easter cookie and cakes
Lifestyle
ARIES friendship
News
Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers
News
Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia
News
Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content
Lifestyle
Pistachio and Raspberry Cheesecake Domes Recipe
Videos & Features
Bouchra Dahlab Crowned Miss Arab World 2025 .. Reem Ganzoury Wins Miss Arab Africa Title (VIDEO)
News
Ireland Replaces Former Israeli Embassy with Palestinian Museum
News
Israeli PM Diagnosed with Stage 3 Prostate Cancer
Lifestyle
Maguy Farah Reveals 2025 Expectations for Pisces
News
Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies
Arts & Culture
New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
3 days ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
The moral high ground
A few months into the war on Gaza, following the 7 October attacks, I found myself like everyone else, glued to the news around the clock, watching non-stop the horror coming out of Gaza. One night, as the Israeli forces started to bomb Al-Shefa Hospital – a spot I was familiar with, having developed a bond with the reporter who broadcast from there – I realised that reporter was no longer there. He was not even mentioned. That night was particularly heartbreaking for me. I felt pressure in my head, as if it might literally explode. Waves of anxiety surged through me, along with terrible thoughts, and I had to turn off the television and wander around my house at 2:00am, desperately trying to shift my focus. I remembered that night as I watched the Palestinian documentary A State of Passion – directed by Carol Mansour, a Lebanese-Canadian filmmaker with Palestinian ancestry, and Muna Khalidi, who has a very close friendship with Abu-Sittah – which follows the renowned Palestinian-British plastic and reconstructive surgeon Ghassan Abu-Sittah when he volunteered to enter Gaza for the sixth time at a time of conflict only to realise that this time it was full-scale genocide. He had never performed this number of amputations on children ever in his life, as he said at one of the most moving moments. At this point, when the film was recently screened at Zawya in the lineup of the Between Women Filmmakers Caravan – an independent initiative organised by a group of female filmmakers and film curators – the Gaza war was already one year and eight months old. Still, I'd missed the first screening of the film, which made its world premiere at the Cairo International Film Festival, receiving three awards: the top award of the Horizons of Arab Cinema section, the Saadeddin Wahba Award for Best Arabic Film, and the second prize for Best Palestinian Film as well as a Special Mention for Abu-Sittah. After 43 days in Gaza, Abu-Sittah jumped on a plane to Amman to spend 24 hours with Mansour and Khalidi, who had called to request the meeting. As they stated in an online interview with the audience after the screening, the phone call that appears in the film is the real phone call. In Amman, the camera captures the emotions involved in the meeting, which also involves an old friend of Abu-Sittah's and his proud mother, whose favourite son he was, according to the two filmmakers. Mansour and Khalidi accompany Abu-Sittah on a quick visit to Kuwait, where he was raised and where he reminisces about his father, also a doctor, in front of said father's former clinic. Abu-Sittah was born in Kuwait to a Palestinian father and a Lebanese mother. His father's family originated in Maain Abu-Sittah in the southeast of Gaza, which they were forced to flee when the Zionists attacked during the Nakba. They moved to Kuwait and later to the United Kingdom in the 1980s and Abu-Sittah eventually realised his father's dream by studying medicine at Glasgow University. The documentary includes some harsh photos of children undergoing surgical procedures, especially when Abu-Sittah is trying to prove that Israel used white phosphorus in their military operations, but such graphic imagery was limited, reflecting the filmmakers' decision to give only a small taste of the horror after they were faced with the predicament of whether and how much to show. Abu-Sittah recalls performing amputations on six children in a single day, and when he elaborates on how complicated the situation is there, he explains that health procedures are based on people directing you to save the life of the only living member of the family or whether a doctor can just clean up a wound that will keep someone alive for a day so as to save a few other lives that require urgent attention. Abu-Sittah made his way to Gaza to treat patients all the way through Rafah many times; his first medical visit to Gaza was during the first Intifada in 1987. He was back during the second Intifada in 2000 and then in the wars of 2009, 2012, 2014, 2021 and finally 2023. Mansour alone accompanies Abu-Sittah to London where he lives with his family: his wife Dima and three sons. Khalidi couldn't go due to complications with her visa. And this is where the documentary becomes a more personal exploration of Abu-Sittah's extraordinary character. When he's not working, he is with his family, a dedicated husband and father whose presence is a delight to them. He is seen ironing his sons' school uniforms and putting together their lunch boxes in the morning. There is a sequence in the 90-minute documentary when we hear the exchange of voice messages between him and his three sons. It is touching how he says good morning to each of them in spite of the horrors he is enduring so many miles away. Dima and Abu-Sittah have a sweet relationship with the Palestinian cause at its core. Dima explains how she took the children to Gaza, showing them every corner of it with a strange presentiment that it might not survive. They went to the beach and visited all the landmarks. Her presentiment was right: they returned on 7 September, exactly a month before the horrific incidents began. When Dima and Abu Sittah were in Gaza, they took along Dima's mother, who needed medical attention in London while her father remained alone, an old man tired of being repeatedly displaced, refusing to leave his house. The mother could not return to Gaza but she has been living in Egypt: she was even present at the screening of the film. When Dima spoke of Palestinian resilience, it rang true in a way it usually doesn't. 'If he hadn't gone to Gaza, I wouldn't have known how to maintain my respect for him,' she also said of Abu-Sittah, who, for his part, said they were both so clear about his need to be there, the decision didn't even have to be discussed. * A version of this article appears in print in the 5 June, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
See - Sada Elbalad
4 days ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Jordan's Royal Family Celebrate 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification
Rana Atef On Thursday, several members of the Jordanian Royal Family attended the game of Jordan's first national team that ended with a 3-0 victory for Jordan. This win led the Chivalrous Ones to the first FIFA World Cup qualification in their history. Princess Rajwa Al Hussein was seen accompanying the Jordanian royal family during the national team's match against Oman in Muscat, offering support to the team. Princess Rajwa wore a white jersey featuring the team's logo, designed by Kelme Jordan, which she paired with beige pinstriped trousers from British designer Victoria Beckham. She added a personal touch with a gold necklace engraved with her daughter Iman's name, and earrings featuring the Arabic letter 'أ', designed by Nadine Kanso. She appeared with Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, his brother Prince Hashem, as well as Princess Iman and Princess Salma. Crown Prince Hussein shared a video on his official Instagram account, capturing the excitement and cheering from the stands. He described the atmosphere as charged with enthusiasm and expressed high confidence in the performance the team. Queen Rania Al Abdullah also shared her joy through Instagram Stories, posting a photo of the team after the final whistle, writing: 'You made this Eid twice as joyful,' As for King Abdullah II, although he was abroad on an official visit, he followed the match from the Jordanian embassy in London, according to official media sources. read more 15 Ludicrous Cosplay Costumes That Will Blow You Away Watch... Dorra's natural beauty will blow your mind in latest photo session Exercising For As Little As 150 Minutes A Week Will Make You Happier، Study Claims ARIES: Your Horoscope for April 7 FDA Now Considers Vaping A Rising Epidemic In High School Lifestyle How to make Dried salted fish (feseekh) -By Chef El-Sherbini Lifestyle Batarekh Dip & Sardine Dip Lifestyle Best of Easter cookie and cakes Lifestyle ARIES friendship News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan
See - Sada Elbalad
4 days ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Etiquettes of Visiting Relatives and Friends during Eid al-Adha
Pasant Elzaitony - Yara Sameh Happy Eid! The first day of Eid al-Adha is here. The holiday always brings a sense of hope, peace, joy, and love. One of the most important aspects of Eid is family and friend gatherings, whether at home or at gathering places such as clubs or parks. There are some rules of etiquette everybody must adhere to during Eid outings and gatherings: • You should always schedule a visit before paying a visit to someone, as each person has their own circumstances that must be taken into account. • After a wedding, couples often visit family homes, you should discuss with the head of the household the kind of gift you should bring and whether it is preferable to bring fruit or a dessert. • If invited to dinner or supper, you should provide a helping hand by setting the table before and after the meal to ensure the hostess isn't overburdened. • If the family gathering will include children and teenagers and you are an uncle or paternal uncle, prepare a generous amount of money, even if it's a small amount. This will make the children very happy. Ensure the amounts of the cash gifting are equal so that no one feels left out. • To ensure the hostess isn't overburdened, leave the house as you entered it, clean and tidy. • Engage in conversation with the present, and use this time as a break from technology and cell phones. During the hours of your presence, leave your cell phone on silent to reflect the importance of this gathering to you. • Make sure to engage in positive conversations avoid touching on useless topics and focus on family-related issues. • Don't engage in side conversations and talk about topics that interest the attendees. Happy Eid read more 15 Ludicrous Cosplay Costumes That Will Blow You Away Watch... Dorra's natural beauty will blow your mind in latest photo session Exercising For As Little As 150 Minutes A Week Will Make You Happier، Study Claims ARIES: Your Horoscope for April 7 FDA Now Considers Vaping A Rising Epidemic In High School Lifestyle How to make Dried salted fish (feseekh) -By Chef El-Sherbini Lifestyle Batarekh Dip & Sardine Dip Lifestyle Best of Easter cookie and cakes Lifestyle ARIES friendship News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan
