Meghan And Harry's Seating Arrangement At The Queen's Funeral Is Raising Eyebrows
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were already in the U.K. when Queen Elizabeth II fell ill and died at her Balmoral estate at the age of 96. The couple extended their visit in order to attend all of the services in honor of the queen. While Harry and Meghan have had a strained relationship with the royal family since stepping down from their duties in 2020, they appeared to be putting those differences aside while mourning the loss of Elizabeth. They even joined William and Catherine Middleton, Prince and Princess of Wales, to greet mourners outside of Windsor Castle.
"It's such an extraordinary historical moment and also a deeply personal one for the family that you'd hope and think that all members of the family would unite and support [the King] especially. And perhaps some of those wounds can be healed in the process," a source told People.
King Charles III even made a concession for his younger son, allowing Harry to wear his military uniform while he stood vigil at Queen Elizabeth's coffin at Westminster Hall, although he is no longer a working royal. And Meghan honored the late monarch by wearing a pair of pearl-and-diamond drop earrings that were given to her by Elizabeth in 2018, per Page Six.
But while there has been progress made, some people have speculated that the royal family is still finding ways to snub the Sussexes.
Harry and Meghan were seated in the second row at the queen's funeral
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, did not receive preferential seating during the funeral services for Queen Elizabeth II. The rest of his family — including King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, sat in the first row, alongside their children, Prince George of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales. Their youngest child, Prince Louis, 4, did not attend the service. And while non-working royals Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips were in the front row, Harry and Meghan were placed in the second, sitting next to Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, per Page Six.
As Hello! reported, the seating arrangements were made in order of precedence. But some on social media questioned the decision to place the Sussexes in a separate row, especially since Harry is still the son of the king.
"I would like to know why Harry has been bumped to second row – petty behaviour," one person wrote, per the Independent. "Harry is still our King's son whether people like it or not and should never have been hid in the second row," wrote another.
Harry and Meghan were excluded from attending a state event
In addition to being seated in the second row at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were reportedly excluded from a state event held at Buckingham Palace. King Charles III hosted leaders from around the globe who had traveled to London to attend the funeral. While Harry and Meghan were reportedly initially invited, the palace later decided that only working royals should be in attendance. "It is beyond bonkers if they're not there. Everyone is coming in from around the world to pay their respects to the Queen," one of the couple's friends told The Sunday Times.
And while royal watchers had been hoping that Queen Elizabeth's passing might heal the rift between Harry and his brother, William, Prince of Wales, sources revealed not much progress has been made on that front. While Page Six reports the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had dinner with the Prince and Princess of Wales on September 13, there's been little interaction between them.
"They are both just doing their jobs and will go back to their own lives after that. It's all really sad," a friend told The Sunday Times. "I just wish they were together, to help each other for the rest of their lives, which is what they were born to do."