Prince Harry has paid a royal visit on the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death. ET reports that, on Friday, the 38-year-old was seen leaving Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, England. Notably, St. George’s Chapel is where Harry’s grandmother is buried, and his solo visit falls on the same date that she passed away in 2022.
During his time in the United Kingdom, the Duke of Sussex also attended the WellChild Awards. While speaking at the event on Thursday night, Harry said of his family’s late matriarch, “I know she’s looking down on all of us tonight.” Next up, he’ll be traveling to Dusseldorf, Germany, for the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games. There, he is expected to be joined by his wife, Meghan Markle.
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Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning royal monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, was 96 years old at the time of death, which came just under 18 months after the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, her husband of more than 73 years. The Queen died at Balmoral, her beloved palace in the Scottish Highlands, which was purchased by her great-great-grandfather Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in 1852. She was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. Charles, her eldest son, succeeds her as leader of the British monarchy.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” the palace said in a statement. “Flags across the U.K. were lowered to half-mast ahead of a national minute’s silence and the start of an official period of mourning.”
Born on April 21, 1926, Elizabeth assumed the throne in 1953 after the death of her father, King George VI. She is survived by her four children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. The Queen is also survived by many grandchildren, including Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry. In addition, Queen Elizabeth also had eight great-grandchildren.
Harry and Markle have had a strained relationship with his family ever since the couple resigned from their Royal duties and did an interview with Oprah, in 2021, which revealed some shocking claims. During a post-interview appearance on CBS Mornings, the iconic TV host shared some new footage of her conversation with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, including a portion where Harry discusses the monarchy being a “toxic” environment. He goes on to say that while he has had to learn to separate himself from it, his father, Prince Charles, has made “peace” with the toxicity.