Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Asked To Fly With Biden In Air Force One After The Queen’s Funeral But Were Promptly Denied, And Jill Skipped Their Invictus Games Invite

News recently surfaced that after Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, wanted to ride back to the US aboard Air Force One, the aircraft vehicle dedicated to flying the current US President.

But the request was denied by the White House, as saying yes to the former Senior Royals might cause a commotion.

Months earlier, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also extended an invitation to First Lady Jill Biden for the Invictus Games. Still, the idea of attending was almost automatically disregarded amid concerns that attending Harry’s event might offend the Royal Family.

Harry and Meghan’s failed attempts are understood to be part of an initiative that the couple spearheads to gain political influence as they settle in their home in California after leaving The Firm.

Meghan has always been very vocal regarding her advocacy of paid family leave to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. She also allegedly worked behind the scenes to connect with the Bidens. Former and current officials of the Biden administration shared this intense need to create political allies.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have tried several strategies, aside from Jill being invited to the Invictus Games and the request to ride with the Bidens back to the US. One example is the First Lady receiving an intriguing gift from Meghan as a token of gratitude for what was seen as a supportive act towards the Duchess after her controversial TV interview.

Recall that Prince Harry and Meghan are not in good graces with the Royal Family after their interview with Oprah Winfrey, followed by the release of Spare, Prince Harry’s memoir. And the tense relations between them and Prince Harry’s family have worsened after the queen’s passing.

When the queen died, Prince Harry and Meghan were in the United Kingdom for charity engagements and stayed until September 19 for the Queen’s funeral. In the events before the memorial service, the Sussexes were uninvited from the pre-funeral reception to be held at Buckingham Palace. This is the avenue for King Charles and Queen Camilla to personally welcome world leaders, including the US President, his wife, and other foreign royals.

According to the palace, the reception is exclusive to the working members of the Royal Family, and it was claimed that the Sussexes were baffled by the decision of who would be attending. 

Meanwhile, in the background, the staff of Prince Harry and Meghan reached out to the White House to ask if the couple could ride with the Bidens via Air Force One. But without further discussions from the US side, it was a straight “No” answer for the Sussexes.

After their exit from the Royal Family, Prince Harry, and Meghan had difficulty finding their footing in the US, many can attest that a political pursuit is part of the couple’s move-forward plan, but aside from this, they also signed a deal with streaming giant Netflix said to be worth $100 million.