Meghan Markle didn't travel with her husband Prince Harry to visit her father-in-law King Charles on Tuesday following his shock cancer diagnosis on Monday evening.
Whilst some royal watchers may wonder why the Duchess chose to stay at home in Montecito, there are several reasons why Meghan chose to remain in the US following the family news.
The couple are due to head to Vancouver next week to mark one year until Prince Harry's Invictus Games in Canada so Meghan likely wanted to stay at home to be with their children, Archie and Lilibet, before having to be apart from them.
Meghan has previously revealed she likes to do the school run with her little ones last year when she took to the stage at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf.
© InstagramApologising for being late, she explained: "I just had to spend a little bit more time at home getting our little ones settled, getting milkshakes, doing school drop off."
It's also likely she wants to maintain a sense of normality for her children. It isn't clear whether they have been told about their grandfather's diagnosis but given previous instances when Harry has returned to the UK, for example during the King's Coronation in May last year, Meghan stayed with Archie and Lilibet.
Also, the last-minute nature of Harry's trip overseas may have a part to play in Meghan's decision to stay at home. With the Duke's meeting with his father being less than an hour it may have been felt that it isn't worth upsetting the children's regular routine for such a fleeting trip.
Our royal correspondent Danielle Stacey weighed in: "We know that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are both hands-on parents and Meghan will want to keep disruption to Archie and Lilibet's routine to a minimum at this difficult time. As well as talking about doing the school run in Germany last year, the Duchess previously spoke about doing the school run with Archie in her interview with The Cut in 2022 so no doubt she will want to be there to support her young children while Harry is in the UK. Given that the Sussexes are also due to travel to Canada this month, they won't want to spend long periods of time away from their children. "
Harry touched down in the UK on Tuesday morning after departing LA on Monday evening. He then headed straight to Clarence House where he had a brief meeting with his father.
The Prince wasn't the only family member to travel to see His Majesty on Tuesday. Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, were pictured going to see Charles following his diagnosis being made public.
