At St Paul’s Cathedral this afternoon, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seated far away from Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, as the two feuding brothers adopted starkly different demeanors.
The Sussexes were the focus of the world’s attention this morning at the Platinum Jubilee thanksgiving ceremony, when they joined hundreds of politicians and dignitaries in expressing their support for the Queen and the wider Royal family.
While Prince William and Kate appeared anxious as they took their seats for the Jubilee event, Harry, 37, was seen smiling and bantering with his fellow royals as he spoke with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands next to his wife Meghan.
Meghan wore a cream coat dress and matching hat, while Harry wore a fine suit studded with his medals, and the couple were among the first to arrive at the church today.
Since emigrating to California with his wife Meghan, Harry is said to have had little communication with his father and brother.
Meanwhile, the Duke of Cambridge was not seen smiling or exchanging pleasantries with his brother throughout the event.
A portrait of Harry and Meghan, 40, leaving Westminster Abbey after the Commonwealth Service in March 2020 – the couple’s final outing as frontline royals – revealed the schism caused by their choice to leave.
They’ve utilized Oprah, US TV news stations, and friendly podcasts to fire transatlantic potshots since then, including charges that one senior member was racist and that aides at Buckingham Palace neglected Meghan when she was suicidal while pregnant. Harry also accused Prince Charles of severing his financial ties with him.
The brothers last saw each other in July, when a Kensington Palace statue dedicated to their mother, Princess Diana, was unveiled. After the Oprah Winfrey interview in March of last year, insiders stated that a ‘furious’ Prince William did not want to attend the event.
Since they stood down as working royals two years ago, the couple has attended their first event with the Royal Family in two years.
After the Queen withdrew owing to mobility concerns, Prince Charles is representing the 96-year-old monarch at the service in London this morning.