Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of exploiting "old, unwell" Queen Elizabeth II to please Netflix and "boost their credibility and coffers".
En route to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games, the royal duo secretly flew into the United Kingdom this week for a meeting with the Queen as well as Prince Charles and Camilla. Shocked churchgoers saw the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle, where the Queen has been holed up, unable to head to events due to mobility issues.
It's the first time the pair have been back to the UK together since their scandalous departure in early 2020. It's also the first face-to-face meeting between Meghan and the Queen since the American unleashed accusations of racism against the royal family in her infamous Oprah interview.
The Daily Mail reports the meeting was "warmly welcomed" by the Queen ahead of Easter, but she laid down her own "red lines", wanting the pair to meet with Prince Charles first. The relationship between Harry and his father is currently frosty, with the Duke accusing the future king of neglecting him. The meeting apparently only last 15 minutes.
A report from The Sun says Harry was the one who initiated the meeting with Charles, wanting to offer his father an "olive branch" and to "clear the air". But it also reports that the Queen would only see Harry and Meghan after the Duke had been with his father.
"As the Queen said when Megxit was signed, they will always be a much-loved part of the family," a source of The Sun's said.
"By seeing the Queen before they arrived in Holland for a high-profile visit, they managed to diminish any idea they were snubbing her. Charles was happy to have them."
The atmosphere in the Queen's apartment was "a lot less edgy", the Mail reports, and despite the couple's barrage of criticisms against the royals, the Queen is reported to still see Harry as "something of a favourite".
But while that report paints a picture of a warm meeting between the Queen and the Sussexes, biographer Tom Bower, who is working on a biography of Meghan, has a different analysis.
"I have no doubt it was all done for their Netflix documentary. The Queen's advisers failed to protect her from being exploited by the Royal Family's worst traducers, while the Sussexes exploited an old, unwell woman to boost their credibility and coffers."
The Mail contacted Harry and Meghan's representatives for comment.
Netflix crews are currently following the Duke and Duchess around as they visit the Invictus Games as part of a documentary being made about competitors. Harry and Meghan have been accused of cashing in on the Games, which Harry founded for wounded service people. The pair have a reported $100 million deal to produce content for the streaming giant.
With Harry and Meghan seeing their popularity tank after stepping down from their royal roles in 2020 as well as after their Oprah interview, it's thought clearing the air with the Queen may help their image.
Not at the Windsor Castle reunion were Prince William and Kate, reported to be holidaying in the French Alps at the moment. The two brothers, who were very close as children, now rarely speak. William is said to be furious about the allegations Harry has levelled at his family.
Harry and Meghan's children, Archie and Lilibet, haven't travelled with their parents. Lilibet has yet to meet the Queen, but according to a report from the Mirror, the couple told the monarch they would meet "in the near future". That report said the meeting was "incredibly warm and good-natured".
