Since many years ago, the royals have spent their summers in Scotland, but for some members of the family, those trips haven’t always been enjoyable vacations. The expansive Balmoral estate brings back “complicated memories” for Prince Harry, and he previously admitted that going there was challenging.
The Duke of Sussex, who now resides in Montecito with his wife Meghan Markle, discussed how a visit to Balmoral in the wake of a tabloid scandal was not a pleasurable experience in his candid memoir Spare, which was published at the beginning of the year.
The 38-year-old was thinking back to a 2012 incident in which he was seen playing strip billiards in a hotel in Las Vegas. The royal was photographed in her underwear, and the images quickly made international headlines. But it was this summer’s incident that prompted a trip to Balmoral to see the family, and it was this occasion that brought up some troubled feelings from the past.
The father of two vividly recalled the incident at the hotel and, despite writing about it in a lighthearted manner, expressed his sense of shame.
“I was furious with myself for allowing it to happen. Why had I acted so foolishly? Why had I placed my trust in others? The Duke continued, “At times, it was difficult for me to take a fresh breath because of my sense of guilt and shame.”
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He continued, describing Balmoral and his opinion of it: “I fled to Scotland and met my family at Balmoral. August had arrived, and everyone was present. Yes, I said, “Yes, Balmoral, with all its complicated memories and the impending anniversary of Mummy’s death just days away, is the one thing missing from this Kafkaesque nightmare.”
But at the time, it appears that Prince Harry’s father, King Charles, expressed sympathy for him regarding the event in Sin City. He wrote, “Shortly after my arrival I met Pa at nearby Birkhall. To my surprise, to my relief, he was gentle. even puzzled. Although he had never been naked on a front page, he said he felt for me because he had been there.
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Balmoral, where he and his brother tragically learned that their mother, Princess Diana, had died in a car crash in August 1997, has painful memories for Harry, as he mentioned in the book.
But ever since, many of the senior members of the royal family have continued to spend their summer vacations at the house, which was a favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
HELLO! The Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, and the Duke of York, are expected to attend this year, as was previously reported.
Photo: Karwai Tang
It’s unclear, though, if the Sussex family will travel to Montecito from Scotland this summer.
Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2, have not yet been to Balmoral, despite Harry and Meghan reportedly spending some time there with the Queen after their wedding there in 2018.
