Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Friday made their first public appearance in the U.K. since announcing their decision to step back as working royals in 2020. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined the members of the British royal family as they attended a national service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral, part of Queen Elizabeth’s ongoing Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The royal couple, who now live in California and arrived in the U.K. on Wednesday along with their two children, Archie, 3, and Lili, who turns 1 on Saturday, arrived to the Friday service hand-in-hand, waving to the crowd as they approached the cathedral, according to the Associated Press. PEOPLE reported that once inside the cathedral, Markle and Harry were escorted to their seats, where they joined Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, as well as their husbands, in the second row. Also in attendance were Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, as well as Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Kate Middleton, who all sat in the front row. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie also attended the service, which was meant to pay tribute to the Queen’s 70 years of service.
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Noticeably missing from the Friday morning service was the Queen herself, who decided not to attend due to “discomfort.” After appearing throughout the day during the Trooping the Colour parade Thursday, Buckingham Palace confirmed Thursday afternoon, “taking into account the journey and activity required to participate in tomorrow’s [service] Her Majesty with great reluctance has concluded that she will not attend.” In recent months, the 96-year-old monarch has been dealing with mobility issues, forcing her to cancel several planned appearances and delegate some of her royal duties to other members of the family, such as her son. Sources confirmed that Her Majesty watched the Friday service on television from Windsor Castle. Prince Andrew also missed the service after testing positive for COVID-19.
It is unclear if the Queen’s “discomfort” will force her to miss other planned events in the ongoing Platinum Jubilee Pageant, a four-day celebration set to conclude on Sunday. On Saturday, members of the royal family are set to attend the Derby at Epsom. Later that evening, they will the Platinum Party at the Palace, which will feature performances by Queen + Adam Lambert and Diana Ross, as well as others. The celebrations will conclude on Sunday with a parade down The Mall to Buckingham Palace in London.
