King Charles to mark anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death privately

MOSCOW - King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla, will mark the first anniversary of the death of late Queen Elizabeth II on Sept 8 "quietly and privately", without attending any public events, Sputnik quoted a British media report on Friday, citing a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace.

The couple will also not hold any family meeting at their royal residence, Balmoral Castle, Palace sources told the Daily Mail, thereby refuting media reports of Prince Harry and his wife, US actress Meghan Markle, not being invited to the alleged event. A source reportedly said it was "simply untrue" to claim that the Royal Family was "snubbing" Harry and Meghan.

The rumours appeared after UK tabloid The Sun reported on Thursday that Prince Harry and his wife had not been invited to attend the event allegedly scheduled to be held in a narrow family circle at Balmoral Castle to mark the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death.

In March 2021, Harry and Meghan gave a controversial interview to US talk show host Oprah Winfrey, in which they accused their royal relatives of indifference, putting pressure on them, and racism. Since then, the couple's relationship with the royal family has remained strained.

Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept 8, 2022, in Scotland aged 96. Her reign, lasting 70 years and 214 days, was the longest of any British monarch. She was buried in Westminster Abbey on Sept 19. - BERNAMA