Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Denied Trip on Air Force One

The royal couple requested a trip back to the U.S. after Queen Elizabeth's funeral. Joe Biden denied the request.

By Andrew Roberts

Not many people are going to get to request a ride on Air Force One. It's a request many never see unless you're a globally famous aristocrat, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were reportedly denied a seat on Air Force One after Queen Elizabeth's death. According to The Daily Mail (via Page Six), the couple attempted to hitch a ride back to the U.S. after Queen Elizabeth's funeral and were denied.

The request was reportedly a non-starter and The White House denied the request almost immediately. "It would have caused such a commotion. It would have strained relations with the palace and the new king," a source told the outlet, alleging King Charles III would have looked bad if the request had been approved.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attended the funeral on Air Force One and also attended a reception held by King Charles for world leaders and foreign royals before the funeral service. This ended up being another slap in the face to Prince Harry and Markle. The couple were initially invited to the event, but then ended up "uninvited" after being informed it was only for "working royals."

If being denied a seat on a flight sounds familiar, Harry had similar issues when he flew to the U.K. to be by Queen Elizabeth's bedside before her passing. Charles, Prince William and other family all traveled to Scotland together, with Harry claiming he was "excluded" by his family before the queen's passing.

"I asked my brother – I said, 'What are your plans? How are you and Kate [Middleton] getting up there?'" Harry says in his 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper. "And then, a couple of hours later, all of the family members that live within the Windsor and Ascot area were jumping on a plane together. A plane with 12, 14, maybe 16 seats."

Cooper pulled the information out right after, asking for clarification on whether Harry was invited or not. "I was not invited," he responded. Royal sources denied anybody decided to intentionally leave Harry on the ground as they all took a plane to Balmoral Castle. "Absolutely no decision was taken to exclude [Harry]," the source alleged.

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