The Duke and Duchess of Sussex appear to have been uninvited to a state reception hosted by the King and Queen at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening.
The couple received an invitation to the grand event for world leaders and foreign royals earlier this week but are thought unlikely to attend after palace officials insisted it was for working members of the Royal family only.
It remained unclear on Friday night why they had received an invitation for an occasion that Royal aides insisted they were not expected to attend.
Sources close to them appeared baffled, while palace aides continued to insist that they were not invited and were not expected to show up.
Joe Biden, the US president, and Emmanuel Macron, the French president, will be among hundreds of heads of state who will be welcomed to London on the eve of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
Presidents and prime ministers from across the globe will arrive in the capital throughout the weekend alongside foreign royals, governors-general and ambassadors.
As dusk falls on Sunday, they will be driven into the gates of Buckingham Palace before rubbing shoulders in the picture gallery and state apartments.
Despite the grandeur of their surroundings, the reception will be a muted affair, with guests asked to wear lounge suits or morning dress, with no hats or decorations.
Guests will be greeted by Royals including the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Earl and Countess of Wessex. Drinks and canapes will be served.
Invitees include ambassadors from North Korea and Iran as well as Empress Masako of Japan, who will accompany Emperor Naruhito, despite largely retreating from public view two decades ago.
The confusion over the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s attendance follows similarly mixed messaging over Prince Harry’s right to wear military uniform this week.
It hints at a lack of communication between the London and California-based branches of the family as well as a lack of certainty over how exactly to deal with Harry and Meghan as grieving members of the Queen’s family.
It emerged on Friday that the King had given his personal permission for the Duke to wear uniform when he mounts a vigil at his grandmother’s coffin on Saturday evening.
Prince Harry will form a guard of honour in Westminster Hall alongside all seven of his cousins, from the eldest, Peter Phillips, 43, to the youngest, James, Viscount Severn, 14.
The Prince of Wales will stand at the head of the coffin and his brother at the foot.
