Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex (aka Meghan Markle), attended their first official royal event in more than two years on Friday: a National Service of Remembrance in honor of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Although Harry returned to the UK for two official royal events in 2021 (his grandfather’s funeral and the unveiling of a statue of his mother), this is the first time that Meghan has attended a public event with other members of the royal family since the couple left their lives as working members in 2020 and moved to the US.
Since then, the couple has generated controversy due to their blockbuster interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which Meghan claimed the harassment she received in her life as a royal resulted in anxiety and suicidal thoughts. She also said that a high-ranking member of the royal family questioned what color her and Harry’s child would be.
Harry and Meghan’s content creation deals with Spotify and Netflix have also raised eyebrows with royals watchers. Harry unveiled even more regarding his royal life and Meghan’s suffering in the 2021 documentary series The Me You Can’t See, accusing his relatives of “total neglect” and alleging that the palace and the media were working together to smear him and his wife.
Their presence on Friday, however, was not as significant as one very important absence — the Queen. Buckingham Palace announced Thursday night that the 96-year-old monarch would not be attending the service following experiencing “some discomfort” while viewing Trooping the Colour and a ceremonial military flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
“Taking into account the journey and activity required to participate in tomorrow’s National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Her Majesty with great reluctance has concluded that she will not attend,” the Palace said in a statement on Thursday.