The decision to "uninvite" Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from tonight's state reception is "beyond bonkers", a friend of the Sussexes has reportedly said.
It is believed the couple received an invitation to the event at Buckingham Palace, hosted by the King and Queen Consort and held for 1,000 foreign leaders and royals attending Queen Elizabeth II's funeral tomorrow.
But Harry and Meghan are unlikely to have attended, it is understood, as Buckingham Palace officials have said the reception is for working royals only.
A friend of the Sussexes told The Sunday Times: "It is beyond bonkers if they're not there. Everyone is coming in from around the world to pay their respects to the Queen."
The Daily Telegraph, meanwhile, says the exclusion is down to issues with communication between the couple and the Royal Family.
It comes after confusion over Harry's right to wear a military uniform.
He was initially not expected to wear it during the mourning period due to him no longer being a working royal. But his father, King Charles III, gave him permission to wear the uniform at yesterday's vigil by the Queen's coffin.
However, the prince was said to be "devastated" at apparently having to remove the 'ER' symbol from his military uniform - even though Prince William was allowed to keep his, it is claimed.
The Sunday Times quoted a source as saying: “[Harry] is heartbroken. To remove his grandmother’s initials feels very intentional.”
Reports suggest Harry nearly decided to wear the morning suit anyway to avoid "humiliation".
However, it does not appear to be an intentional snub - the initials are traditionally only worn by those 'in service' of the monarch.
The source said today that the uniform issues and the state reception snub could make Harry feel as if "the majority of the operation is against you. It's hard — nobody likes to feel like they're being excluded."
Among attending Sunday's reception was US President Joe Biden.
Biden and his wife Jill skipped the queues and paid their respects as they looked down from a balcony at Westminster Hall at about 5pm.
He later told reporters the Queen reminded him of his own mother.
Speaking at Lancaster House, he was asked why he drew the comparison, and said: "She had that look like, 'are you OK? Anything I can do for you? What do you need?'
"And also 'make sure you do what you're supposed to do'," he joked, wagging his finger.
He added: "I have talked about how my mother and father thought that everyone, no matter who they were, no matter what their station, no matter where they are from, deserved to be treated with dignity.
Speaking about tonight's reception, a spokesman for The King said: “This is one of the last moments for Her Majesty the Queen as opposed to the first for His Majesty.”
