King Charles was forced to deny the Princess of Wales a chance to be at the dying Queen's beside along with Meghan Markle, a royal author has claimed.
When the late Queen entered her final hours at Balmoral last September, members of her family raced to be with her.
Among them were Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, who took a flight from London to Scotland.
Prince Harry, who is estranged from some of his royal relatives, took a separate private jet and wrote in his memoir Spare how he was told wife Meghan shouldn't come with him as Kate wasn't going either.
Kate was later pictured driving through the Windsor estate that day as she went to collect Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis from school.
Now royal author Robert Jobson, who has written a new book about King Charles, has claimed he asked William not to bring Kate so that Meghan wouldn't go either.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph Australia, he said the King said: "If Catherine doesn't come, Meghan can't either, it's not appropriate for wives to attend.'
"Harry was insisting Meghan travel with him to Scotland as the Queen's life ebbed away but the King said it was only for the children and grandchildren to be with the Queen.
"Privately, he wanted to say Meghan was not welcome but he couldn't say that to Harry so he personally intervened and asked Kate to stay back so that it was fairer on Meghan."
He added that in turn, Kate did stay at home even though she desperately want to be there, and that has now "eaten Kate up" and "built resentment towards Meghan".
It comes after Harry also gave his turn of events of what happened on the day the Queen died in Spare.
He writes his father told him he was welcome at Balmoral "but he didn't want... her".
He explains: "He started to lay out his reason, which was nonsensical, and disrespectful, and I wasn’t having it. Don't ever speak about my wife that way.
"He stammered, apologetic, saying he simply didn't want a lot of people around. No other wives were coming, Kate wasn't coming, he said, therefore Meg shouldn't."
Sadly for those who raced from England, they were unable to make it to Balmoral before the late Queen died.
William and the relatives he travelled with didn't make it to the estate until 5pm - almost two hours after her death.
Meanwhile, Harry didn't arrive until 8pm and claims he learned of his grandmother's death via the BBC News website.
In the days that followed the Queen's death, both William and Kate and Harry and Meghan joined together to greet mourners outside Windsor Castle.
It was the first time the four were seen together officially since the shock announcement in 2020 that Harry and Meghan would be retreating from public life, with Mr Jobson writing in his new book how insiders claimed it had been one of the "hardest things" Kate had ever had to do.
However, Kate will not come face-to-face with Meghan at next month's Coronation as Harry is travelling to the UK alone. Meghan is remaining in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
