The backlash Meghan Markle faced last time she was in the UK helped sway her decision to skip King Charles' Coronation, a pal has claimed.
It has been confirmed that Meghan will not be accompanying husband Prince Harry when he travels to the UK in a few weeks to see his father crowned in Westminster Abbey.
Instead she will be staying at home in California with the couple's children Prince Archie, who turns four on the day of the Coronation, and Princess Lilibet, who is almost two.
And now a close friend of the Sussexes has spoken out and said that Meghan did want to be at the Coronation to support her father-in-law, but did not want to put herself through the scrutiny she was under while in the UK for the late Queen's funeral last year.
The pal told PEOPLE: "Meghan wants to be there to support her father-in-law, but at the same time, the scrutiny she receives outweighs the support.
"There's always going to be that other side challenging their reasoning, and who wants to put themselves in that position?"
It comes as another friend said that Harry and Meghan 'didn't get what they wanted' from Coronation talks before publicly annoucing their plans.
The Sussexes allegedly had a number of 'demands' that needed to be met if they were going to attend the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6.
At the present time, it appears only three of these have actually been met, with another three definitely not happening and one still up in the air.
While some of the alleged 'demands' are perfectly reasonable and have been agreed by the Palace, Harry didn't get his own way on several of the issues raised.
A close pal of the couple has admitted the talks got "personal" - with the Sussexes and the Firm clashing over key issues .
The friend also told PEOPLE: "At this point, it's become so personal. Maybe what they wanted wasn't achieved, but at the end of the day, he's going there to support his dad."
According to insiders, Harry was acutely aware that the historic occasion will be "pretty much the most important day" of the King's life and knew he would regret not attending.
However, he is not expected to take part in either the King’s Procession or the Coronation Procession to and from Buckingham Palace.
As a non-working royal, Harry also won't be on the famous palace balcony, joining the likes of Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie on the sidelines.
According to sources, Harry intends to fly in for the ceremony for a brief visit then return straight back to California to be with his family on Archie's fourth birthday.
