What is the royal treatment? Prince Harry Meghan Markle‘s return to the U.K. for Queen Elizabeth II‘s Platinum Jubilee may not have gone how they hoped, according to royal expert Christopher Andersen.
The royal festivities kicked off on Thursday, June 2, with the Trooping the Colour parade in London and “went off without a hitch,” Andersen exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, June 7, calling the weekend “a glorious celebration of the queen as a person and of the monarchy.”
However, Brothers and Wives: Inside William, Kate, Harry and Meghan’s Private Lives author claimed that any attempts made by the Sussexes to “mend fences” with other members of the royal family following their step down from senior duties were unsuccessful. Harry, 37 and Meghan, 40, have not been together at an official royal event since the Commonwealth Day Service, March 2020.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Shutterstock
From Andersen’s point of view, palace officials “sidelined” the former military pilot and the Suits alum during the 96-year-old monarch’s birthday parade. Instead of watching the procession from the Buckingham Palace balcony along with Harry’s grandmother, the twosome viewed the event from the Major General’s Office. A spokesperson said that the two men viewed the procession from the Major General’s Office instead of watching it from Buckingham Palace balcony. Use in May that the balcony was reserved for “those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen,” such as Prince William Duchess Kate.
Harry and Meghan went on to celebrate the queen during her Service of Thanksgiving on Friday, June 3, which the royal matriarch herself did not attend due to “discomfort.” Inside St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Archewell cofounders did not sit beside William, 39, and Kate, 40.
“Senior members of the royal family were seated in the front row and non-senior members in the second row,” a source later told Us of the seating arrangement, which was decided upon by the palace in order “to avoid any unwanted attention” on the two couples.
Andersen narrates the story before crossing the pond. Us Harry and Meghan likely felt “hopeful” about making strides in their relationships with other royal family members. “They went there hoping to mend fences and ran into a brick wall,” he claimed, adding that he “was personally surprised” that the pair were “excluded” from the balcony during Trooping the Colour. “I thought that there would be an opportunity for [Harry]To show solidarity, you should show up [and]The future of the monarchy … I’m sure they expected to have a warmer welcome than what they received.”
Tensions have been high between Harry, Meghan and other senior royals following the duo’s choice to leave their positions within the palace. The duke and duchess explained the reasons behind their decision to resign in a CBS tell-all interview, March 2021. They claimed that racism and a lack support were the main factors. Harry opened up about his childhood during a few podcast appearances. He suggested that he wanted to raise Archie, 3 and Lilibet 12, differently. Prince CharlesWilliam and his brother William were raised.
Although the Jubilee did not heal the rift completely, it was still repaired. BenchAuthor and her husband were delighted to spend one-on-one with the queen. Lilibet, her great-granddaughter, finally met her on her 1st Birthday. The family time “added some light” to the weekend, a source told Us, adding “[Elizabeth] thinks they’re adorable and gave Lili and Archie gifts.”
Christina Garibaldi reporting
