Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could have to cancel holiday plans with the Queen

Rebecca Taylor
·Royal Correspondent
·3 min read
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 10: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex watch a flypast to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018 in London, England. The 100th birthday of the RAF, which was founded on on 1 April 1918, was marked with a centenary parade with the presentation of a new Queen's Colour and flypast of 100 aircraft over Buckingham Palace. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Harry and Meghan had accepted an invitation to Balmoral this summer. (Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could have to cancel their summer holiday plans to see the Queen in Scotland as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

The couple had accepted an invitation to join the Queen in Balmoral with their son Archie over summer.

The Queen, 93, spends every summer in her Scottish home but it doesn’t look like the regular trip will be able to happen this year.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, told This Morning on Tuesday that it was “unlikely” Britons would be able to fly abroad for their summer breaks.

It makes it very unlikely the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be returning to the UK to see his grandmother as well.

The couple could face a two week self-isolation period if they did, under plans being considered by government ministers.

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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 28: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex poses with Eliud Kipchoge (L), winner of the men's London marathon and Brigid Kosgei (R), winner of the women's London marathon during the medal ceremony at the Virgin London Marathon 2019 on April 28, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Harry would have been in the UK in April for the London Marathon. (WireImage)

Global travel restrictions mean it’s not clear when the duke and duchess could next return to the UK.

Prince Harry would have been in the UK on 26 April to present the medals at the finish line of the London marathon.

They would also have flown to the Hague last week for this year’s Invictus Games. Both of those events have now been postponed.

And the couple were thought to be coming back for Trooping the Colour on the Queen’s official birthday, 13 June. However that event will not be held in the same way, and it looks as though the Queen herself might be in Windsor instead of London that day.

Harry, Meghan and Archie are not the only royals who will have their summer holiday plans affected by ongoing travel restrictions.

William and Kate often spend part of their summer in their Norfolk home of Anmer Hall. However, like the rest of the country, they might not feel like it’s so much of a break when they have been there continuously since the middle of March.

Read more: How Archie's LA life with Harry and Meghan will be different to his other royal cousins

Queen Elizabeth II inspects the Balaklava Company, 5 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland at the gates at Balmoral, as she takes up summer residence at the castle. (Photo by Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)
The Queen usually spends the summer in Balmoral. (Getty Images)

Prince Charles and Camilla have previously holidayed in Corfu, but they won’t be able to fly anywhere this year.

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie also often head to Balmoral to spend time with their grandmother and wider family, so it could be off the cards for them too.

The Queen is likely to stay in Windsor for the foreseeable future. As she is 93, she may have to continue to shield, meaning her grandchildren could not pop there for a holiday either.

Zara and Mike Tindall also favour a trip abroad. They have already been to Italy this year to go skiing, so they can reminisce about that holiday while staying at home in the summer.