Placeholder when loading item promotions
LONDON – Crowds outside St Paul’s gave Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex a lovely hooray as the couple made their first public appearance at the Platinum Jubilee Celebration for Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge were given an even bigger hand as they entered the Anglican Cathedral in central London for a thanksgiving service on the second day of the anniversary celebrations. The church bells rang as Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, arrived. Viewers had a mixed reaction to the arrival of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson. Some booed.
The Queen was absent, watching the show on the BBC from her rooms at Windsor Castle.
The palace warned the public that the monarch felt “a certain uneasiness” at the Trooping the Color ceremony of British military regiments on Thursday and would therefore not be attending. She has struggled with what the Palace calls “mobility issues” in recent months and has missed a number of dates.
Still, even after the Palace announcement, he performed in Windsor on Thursday night. Dressed in green, she appeared sure on her feet but perhaps tired as she placed a gloved hand on a glittering orb to symbolically light the beacons of Britain and across the Commonwealth.
“It has been an exceptionally long day for Her Majesty but she seemed determined to make this final appearance,” wrote the Daily Telegraph’s royal reporter.
In his Friday sermon, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell addressed the Queen directly and told the congregation what they already knew: Elizabeth is a lifelong lover of horses.
All of the Queen’s Horses: From Her First Pony to Macron’s Anniversary Gift
Cottrell joked that he has “no great tips” from above for Saturday’s derby races at Epsom Downs, where some of the Queen’s horses will appear. Continuing the horse theme, the Archbishop said: “Your Majesty, we are sorry you are not with us in person this morning. But we’re so glad you’re still in the saddle.”
People may forget, but the Queen is also the “Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England”. The Archbishop commended her for “an unshakable steadfastness and an unshakable consistency, a fidelity to God, an obedience to a calling.”
The Prime Minister read from Philippians in the New Testament.
“Rejoice,” Johnson read. “Let your gentleness be known to all. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in all things let your requests be made known to God by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.”
There is a steady handover of responsibility – and soft power – that now passes from the Queen to her son Charles and grandson William, who are playing a more prominent role during the Jubilee. The BBC cameras mainly focused on them but occasionally cut away to show Harry and Meghan.
The BBC commentator said that Harry and Meghan appear to be allowed “their own little procession” upon entering, which he says is the Queen.
St. Paul’s wasn’t the easiest place to spot royals, but that didn’t stop several hundred from congregating outside where the streets were lined with metal barricades.
Among those at the front who got a glimpse were Ian Tuer, 64, a transport manager, and his wife Valerie, 55, who works as a butcher. They came from the Lake District.
Valerie said Harry and Meghan’s appearance will be well received by the British public: “I think a lot would have been said if they hadn’t appeared. They did the right thing when they came back.”
Meghan and Harry remain behind the scenes on day one of the anniversary celebration
Ian said it was nice to see Harry and Meghan. “I think they wanted to be here no matter what people thought. They’ve made their decision to be a Hollywood A-lister, and that’s okay. They have a good reception and they will be happy about it.”
Referring to Prince Charles, Ian said: “He’s a nice guy, he’s waited a long time to be king, I think he’ll be quite tolerant, I think he’ll be very approachable, he won’t be around forever , the future of the royal family was at hand [Buckingham Palace] balcony” the day before.
The Sussexes are in the UK from California with their young children Archie, 3, and Lilibet, who will celebrate their first birthdays on Saturday.
This trip marks the first time the Queen has met Lilibet in person. Harry and Meghan named their daughter after Elizabeth, using the Queen’s childhood nickname.
Harry has made few public trips to the UK since settling in California. In April 2021 he attended the funeral of his grandfather Prince Philip, although he did not return for the Philip’s memorial this spring, which was a much bigger affair now that Covid restrictions had been lifted. He returned last summer to unveil a statue of his late mother, Princess Diana.
Harry’s lawyers said the prince did not feel safe being in the UK due to the security measures in place for him. He is taking legal action against the UK government after being told he would no longer be given the “same level” of personal security when visiting the UK. The prince offered to pay for security himself, but the UK Home Office declined.
The couple surprisingly announced in January 2020 that they were stepping down as senior royals. Rejecting her suggestion of bringing royals “half in, half out”, the Queen stripped them of their royal patronage, making clear in statements that while the Sussexes are hugely popular members of the royal family, work came first .
The Sussexes relocated to California after a brief stint in Canada.
Both sides agreed to review the situation after 12 months. But according to royal biographer Robert Hardman, the Queen didn’t expect them to resume their British life. Hardman writes in his book Queen of Our Times that the Queen knew the Sussexes were unlikely to return as senior royals.
“When asked by a well-meaning visitor if she expected them to resume royal life, she replied firmly, ‘Of course not. They took the dogs with them.« ”