Harry, Meghan Won't Be on Queen's Balcony for Celebration

Neither will Andrew at Platinum Jubilee, as all 3 no longer have royal duties
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted May 6, 2022 12:55 PM CDT
Harry, Meghan Won't Be on Queen's Balcony for Celebration
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are seen at the Invictus Games in the Hague, Netherlands, on April 17, 2022.   (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

In June, the United Kingdom will celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, a commemoration of her status as the only British monarch ever to have put in 70 years on the throne. And there will be four very special guests in attendance: Prince Harry, his wife Meghan Markle, and their two children, 3-year-old Archie and 11-month-old Lilibet, the latter of whom the queen will meet for the first time, reports CNN. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are excited and honored to attend the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children," a spokesperson for the pair tells the news outlet.

But while Harry, Meghan, and their kids are sure to get some face time with the 96-year-old royal matriarch during the event that runs June 2 through June 5, they won't be perched up high with her on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Color parade, as is the custom. Instead, there will be a more "slimmed down" entourage, per Town & Country: Harry's brother, William, and his family will be standing next to the queen, as will Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, and two of Charles' siblings, Edward and Anne. But Harry and Meghan, as well as Prince Charles' other brother, Andrew, will be watching from elsewhere, as only royals carrying out royal duties are getting balcony privileges, which was decided after "careful consideration," a royal spokesperson notes.

The Sussexes gave up their royal status (and hence the accompanying duties) in 2020 when they ditched Britain for the United States, and Andrew had his HRH title and royal duties yanked due to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal he's wrapped up in. None of this necessarily means there's still unbearable tension among some of the royals, especially between Harry and William. After all, Harry and Meghan's firstborn, Archie, turned 3 on Friday, and the tot's extended family flooded online to send him well wishes, rift or no rift, per People. "Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy 3rd Birthday!" the queen's official Twitter account gushed. William and his wife, Kate Middleton, also posted their own birthday greetings, writing, "Wishing Archie a very happy 3rd Birthday today." (More Prince Harry stories.)

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