Harry and Meghan fly kids to £100m private island in secret Scottish getaway – but steer clear of Balmoral

PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly took their children to a secret £100million island which supposedly inspired cult film The Wicker Man. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, to what Harry previously nicknamed his “secret paradise” Tanera Mor in Scotland. Harry and Meghan during a previous visit to Tanera Mor in Scotland Credit: Instagram A cottage on island of Tanera Mor, the largest of the Summer Isles Credit: Alamy The Daily Mail reports the Sussexes stopped off on the island, but not the Royal Family‘s Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire during their recent trip to the UK. The private retreat, the largest of the Summer Isles, is owned by hedge fund billionaire Ian Wace – and it had only five people living there when he bought it for £1.7million in 2017. Sign up for the Royals newsletter Thank you! It is an 800-acre hideaway which the tycoon has poured £100million into planting 100,000 trees, restoring a dozen properties and laying three miles of roads – as well as reviving skills like beekeeping. In the last year, more than half of the 1,000 guests Tanera has hosted were from the Taigh Mor Foundation. A holiday snap posted by Meghan, which appears to show Harry, Archie and Lilibet possibly at Diana’s burial site Credit: Instagram Harry and Meghan share a laugh after a meal during another snap from their summer holiday Credit: Instagram The charity which strives to bolster the wellbeing of those serving in the armed forces or emergency services. And Harry has been known to muck down restoring buildings, harvesting seaweed, fishing for mackerel and working in the kitchens and gardens during previous trips, including with Meghan. Wace has been pals with Harry and estranged brother Prince William for years – with his ex-wife, former model Saffron Aldridge, 57, having bonded with the duchess when she first moved to the UK. Earlier this month, Meghan shared holiday snaps alongside her husband and children on what she captioned “Summer Holiday” on Instagram. Most read in Royals The family enjoy a day at the beach Credit: Instagram Archie walks along barefoot during sunset Credit: Instagram They included what appeared to be a visit Princess Diana‘s childhood home, after the Sun revealed the duke was seen leaving his late mum’s ancestral pile. The family, who live in California, travelled to mainland Europe ahead of the Duke of Sussex’s return to the UK. Dad-of-two Harry, 41, had intended to bring his wife and children with him for the full duration of his five-day trip to Britain, which included attending the Invictus Games in Birmingham. However, he instead flew in alone and hours before arriving in London an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace was reportedly withdrawn after he failed to meet the deadline for a decision. HARRY SECURITY REVIEW ‘ON HOLD’ By Julia Atherley PRINCE Harry will have to wait for a decision about his taxpayer-funded security — as the system has ground to a halt. A panel that assesses risks faced by royals and politicians who request police protection has been suspended. The Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) has paused risk management evaluations for at least four months. It is understood that with nine former Prime Ministers in the queue for protection, the system is backlogged. Last year, Prince Harry lost a High Court battle with the Government over Ravec’s decision to strip him of his 24-hour police protection on UK visits. In November, Ravec ordered a new risk management evaluation for the Duke — the first in six years — but it has yet to be carried out. Duchess Meghan, 44, meanwhile, delayed her arrival and entered the country in secret with Archie and Lilibet – due to ongoing security concerns after Harry lost a row with the Home Office over its refusal to provide taxpayer-funded protection, with him no longer being a working royal. However, he has since been told he will be granted a risk management board to reassess whether he should receive automatic police protection every time he visits the UK – which was supposed to take place in March but still hasn’t, due to a backlog, reports the Times. It’s not clear exactly where the Sussexes had been holidaying beforehand, but it appears they stopped off in Portugal where Harry and Meghan are reportedly buying a second property near the prince‘s cousin Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank. One of Meghan’s snaps shared on Instagram is of a Portuguese fish restaurant called O Melidense. Another appears to show the family visiting Althorp, Harry’s late mum Diana’s childhood home – after we revealed the duke’s wishes to take his kids to his late mum’s grave. The flowers have led to speculation they were visiting Diana’s burial site, on an island in the middle of the Oval lake, on the Spencer family’s ancestral estate. It comes as the estate’s website said the property would be closed to the public on July 10 and 11 – which lines up with when Harry was reportedly spotted leaving. In all the pics the children’s faces are turned away from the camera – a move common in photos taken by Meghan in a bid to protect their privacy. During the family’s trip to the UK, they enjoyed tea with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove, it was confirmed by Buckingham Palace. It was the first time the monarch had seen his daughter-in-law and grandchildren since 2022. Harry is thought to have met his father and stepmother for more than an hour. It’s understood he had initially planned to stay at Buckingham Palace, having initially rejected the offer, before changing his mind, but the offer was then withdrawn. Harry’s trip to the UK also saw him lose his £50million High Court hacking case against the publisher of the Daily Mail on July 7 in a huge victory for the free press. Asked about the reported visit to the private island, a spokesman for the Sussexes said: “This is not something we would comment on.” Comment now