Harry and Meghan's reappearance at the Queen's Jubilee
During the Platinum Jubilee, the celebrations for the queen of England's seventy years on the throne, apart from Elizabeth II waving from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, the other iconic image that many wanted to see was that of Harry and Meghan, Dukes of Sussex, back in London and surrounded by the royal family. An image that has been waiting two years and many believed, at this point, almost impossible.
The Sussexes were last seen with the rest of the family at an official event at a function at Westminster Abbey in March 2020. Harry and Meghan were returning from Canada, where they had rushed from London (later we learned it was because Meghan had had suicidal thoughts and wanted treatment away from England). The meeting with the rest of the royal family was cold and distant: Harry and William barely spoke to each other and the sisters-in-law, Meghan and Kate, only said hello. Shortly after the so-called "Megxit" was announced: Harry and Meghan announced that they were officially leaving the royal family and moving to the United States.
Despite the fact that the distance between Harry and his family, especially his brother, remains very great (and has noticeably widened after Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey), the sovereign was very insistent that she wanted a picture of family unity on their Platinum Jubilee and Harry and Meghan emerged from their voluntary ostracism in Los Angeles to fly to England with their two children, Archie (3) and Lilibet (1).
The four are known to have departed from Santa Barbara Airport in California (presumably in a private jet) and landed at Farnborough Airport in Hampshire. As reported by the Daily Mail, a black Land Rover and a Royal House Volkswagen were waiting for them on the tarmac to take them to Frogmore Cottage, the house near Windsor Castle where they lived after they got married and until they moved to America.
The gesture of the cars was important: Harry had complained that his wife and children had no protection in England, so he couldn't take them. Let's remember that Archie hadn't set foot in England for almost two years and that little Lilibet had never been. Neither the queen nor Prince Charles had yet met her in person. However, as various media outlets have reported, when Harry was recently (in April) in England to see his grandmother, he received promises that his family would be properly protected during the jubilee. And so it is being.
At "Trooping the Colour"
We didn't get a chance to see them until Thursday morning. The act of "Trooping the Colour" with which the Jubilee began consists of a parade of floats carrying the royal family from Buckingham Palace to the Horse Guard's Parade, followed by a great military parade, and a new parade of floats from return, an exit to the balcony of the palace and a greeting to the crowd.
The presence of Meghan and Harry on the floats that left the palace was ruled out in advance, much less on the balcony of Buckingham (that is reserved for the active "royals"), but Elizabeth II insisted that Harry and Meghan participate in some mode at the "Trooping the Color" ceremony. So they both took a car and headed to the Horse Guard's Parade, the large esplanade where the military parade takes place. There, from a building with large balconies overlooking the esplanade, we could finally see them, if only from the sidelines.
Meghan was dressed in a short-sleeved dress with a bateau neckline and a large white hat with a lavish bow (the work of milliner Stephen Jones). Harry was in a morning suit and not a military uniform. Although both tried to keep a low profile, they were seen having fun with the granddaughters of Princess Anne (the queen's daughter).
At the Thanksgiving service
If on Thursday we could hardly see Meghan and Harry, on Friday morning we could enjoy them much more. In the morning, a great Thanksgiving service was held at St. Paul's Cathedral, one of the most important events of the jubilee and to which the queen was initially scheduled to attend. However, the previous day in the afternoon Buckingham reported that the monarch was not quite well and she did not look strong. So we are left with the desire to see it.
Meghan and Harry appeared very smiling on the steps of the cathedral, and that some in the public booed them at first. Meghan was very elegant in a cream Dior coat dress and a Stephen Jones hat. He wore a morning coat and military decorations.
Upon arrival, they were greeted by the Lord Mayor of London and then entered the temple, where they took a seat next to Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, the daughters of Prince Andrew. The latter, by the way, is not going to have any role in the celebration of the jubilee: in addition to the fact that he is officially removed from any official act due to his recent scandals, it turns out that he has tested positive for coronavirus.
The last to arrive at the cathedral were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Kate and William) and, minutes later, Prince Charles and his wife, Camila. The protocol services made sure this time that there was not a clash as uncomfortable as the one between the Cambridges and the Sussexes years ago in Westminster. Tactfully, both couples were seated with enough distance.
Lilibet's birthday party
Other of the great events of the jubilee, although this will be behind closed doors, will be the celebration on Saturday of the first birthday of little Lilibet, the daughter of Harry and Meghan. It is known that there will be a small birthday party at Frogmore and it is even possible that the queen herself will stop by to spend some time. Guillermo and Kate will not be (they will be on an official trip to Wales) and it is not known if the little princes Jorge, Carlota and Luis de Cambridge will come to see their cousins.
They say the queen is looking forward to this party on Saturday so she can spend some time with Harry. For her, without a doubt, it will be one of the great events of the jubilee.
