It's been over two years in the making: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle just publicly attended their first royal event since wrapping up their time as working members of the family, all the way back in March 2020.
For their last official act of service for the Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey – and all eyes were on them (and their interactions with the likes of Prince William and Kate Middleton). Today, more than two years on, they made a special appearance and rejoined the family in a public setting, in honour of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
All the key - and extended - members of the royal family, bar the Queen herself, were in attendance at St Paul's Cathedral for the thanksgiving service celebrating the life and work of Her Majesty.
As expected, large crowds lined the streets leading up to the cathedral and when Meghan and Harry stepped out of their car, they were greeted (largely) by cheers from gathered well-wishers (unlike Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was heavily booed following the recent Sue Gray report being released). Kier Starmer (leader of the Labour party) was mostly met with quiet apathy.
Much was said about the sort of reaction Meghan and Harry might receive at their first event with the royals after stepping down from their senior working positions (and their tell-all Oprah interview), so it's great to see that, on the whole, the crowd were mature and gave them a warm welcome – after all, we're not back in the Tudor times where booing and throwing rotten tomatoes at people is seen as an especially cool thing to do...
The fitting reception also stays in line with the message the Queen has been keen to put forth about that Sussexes in the press - that despite of them stepping down and speaking out about their grievances, they're still "much loved" members of the family.
Everyone's clicking on...
While inside the cathedral, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seen saying hello to Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice (and their respective husbands, Jack Brooksbank and Edo Mapelli Mozzi), along with Harry's uncle, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie Countess of Wessex. After the service, they were spotted chatting to Harry's cousin Zara, and her husband, Mike Tindall (a close pal of Prince William's).
Tomorrow the Sussexes will be celebrating their daughter Lilibet's first birthday and it's said that yesterday, she finally met her namesake, the Queen, at a private lunch after the Trooping the Colour event.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
