Queen to meet Prince Harry, Meghan Markle at Balmoral, says staff

A Balmoral staff member said the visit will give the Duke and Duchess of Sussex more time to spend with the monarch after the Jubilee.

Queen Elizabeth II has reportedly extended an olive branch to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by inviting them to Balmoral for the summer.

Her Majesty favours her Scottish Highland estate when it comes to getting her much-needed rest and relaxation. Her granddaughter Princess Eugenie once called it "the most beautiful place on earth" and that "Granny is the most happy there."

As such, the 86-year-old is believed to be at Balmoral already for the summer. She arrived last week Thursday and is expected to stay at Craigowan Lodge for ten weeks. She is reportedly also expecting family members to visit her there.

According to a royal insider, Queen Elizabeth II is looking forward to meeting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1. A Balmoral insider told The Sun, "Staff have been told to expect the full list of royals including Harry, Meghan and their children Archie and Lilibet."

The source added, "They are preparing for the Sussexes."

Meanwhile, another insider called Balmoral "the perfect place" for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle "to spend a little bit of quality time with the Queen." They would have more time given that "they barely had 15 minutes with her at the Jubilee."

However, not everyone is excited to have the couple and their children at Balmoral over the summer. Another source admitted, "I would be stunned if they did turn up."

It will reportedly be a private visit, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not expected to meet other senior royal members. It is said that Queen Elizabeth II made sure to invite the couple when the others are not around to avoid drama. The invitation is believed to be her olive branch to the Sussexes.

The visit to Balmoral will be the second time for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to meet with Queen Elizabeth II since the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. They went straight to Windsor Castle when they arrived in the U.K. in June. There, they introduced the monarch to her namesake, Lilibet. There were no photos to document the child's first meeting with her great-grandmother as Her Majesty suffered from a "bloodshot eye."