Two years after stepping down from their positions as working members of the British Royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex made their first public appearance in the UK.
According to Variety, the couple are in England celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, marking her 70 years on the throne. As part of the weekend’s events, they attended the National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Harry and Meghan received cheers from the crowd as they arrived and were later seen smiling with clergy, before sitting with Harry’s cousins, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, during the service. They also reportedly attended Thursday’s Trooping the Colours military parade, but as non-working members of the royal family the duo kept a low profile.
It’s not known how much of the weekend’s festivities Harry and Meghan will attend or participate in, but there’s a huge Platinum Party at the Palace concert planned for Saturday and The Platinum Jubilee Pageant on Sunday. In case you’re interested, the concert airs at 8/7c on ABC and features performances from Craig David, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Nile Rodgers, Alicia Keys, and Diana Ross.
Last month, the couple had a private meeting with the Queen before heading to The Hague in Netherlands for the Invictus Games. The 96-year-old monarch has dealt with health issues as of late, perhaps leading the couple to mend some fences with the family. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have kept their distance from the family for completely understandable reasons. The institution’s lack of defense and protection for Meghan and their son Archie in the face of racist threats and harassment was egregious and deliberate.
If you’ll recall, in the couple’s bombshell interview with Oprah, Meghan revealed that in addition to a senior member of the family questioning how dark Archie’s skin would be, her child wouldn’t receive a royal title or security detail, despite the clearly heightened threat she and Harry lived with. The constant racist harassment from British tabloids and the royal family’s lack of protection for their family ultimately led Harry and Meghan to leave the craziness behind and move to California.
Of course, even with all that baggage, they’re still his family and Harry wants to be there for his grandmother as she battles mounting health problems. If there’s anything we’ve learned in the last three years, it’s that time is not promised to anyone, not even the Queen. Don’t leave anything unsaid.