Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s returning to the UK for Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee in June 2022 was anything but a nice reunion. According to Daily Mail, the woman’s looks at the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral was thoroughly stage-managed by aristocratic aides to avoid unpleasant interactions with older royals, mainly Prince William.
Tensions were still running great after the Sussexes ‘ violent 2021 Oprah meeting, in which they accused an unknown king of making a racist note and Harry claimed his parents, King Charles, had cut him off financially.
As per Daily Mail, imperial officials were determined to avoid a repeat of the chilly environment from the couple’s last joint presence with the family at Westminster Abbey in 2020. The furniture program at St Paul’s was so designed to house Harry and Meghan way from William, Charles, and the Queen’s near working royals.
Although operational problems were handled with precision, the Sussexes arrived and left differently from top princes and were seated on the same side of the aisle—the government’s response proved less predictable.
As Harry and Meghan stepped out of the cathedral, a mix of cheers and boos rang out.
According to Daily Mail, it was their first public royal engagement together since stepping back from duties and the jeering signalled how dramatically public sentiment had shifted.
Royal correspondents, including Sky’s Kay Burley and Rhiannon Mills described the crowd’s response as “mixed”, though others, such as MailOnline’s reporter on the scene, said cheering for William and Kate was the “biggest of the day by some margin”. AFP footage also captured audible boos as the couple exited.
Inside the cathedral, their second-row placement, behind non-working royals, underscored their diminished status. Charles and Camilla, representing the Queen, were seated prominently in the front row alongside William and Kate. Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan were seated between Lady Chatto and Princess Eugenie’s husband, Jack Brooksbank. There was no visible interaction between the brothers, highlighting the depth of their rift.
According to Daily Mail, a palace source described the seating as” a typically elegant solution”, explaining,” The Queen wants her family there and they are still part of it. But in a carefully controlled fashion”.
The day also offered no sign of the Netflix crews that had followed the couple during previous engagements, a relief to royal courtiers wary of media exploitation. Yet tensions lingered over privacy.
The Sun reported at the time that Harry and Meghan were denied permission to bring a personal photographer when introducing their daughter Lilibet to the Queen, due to fears the image might be leaked to US media.
Later, the Sussexes left for Frogmore Cottage and skipped a royal reception. For Harry, who once topped polls as Britain’s most popular royal, the experience marked a fall from grace.
As per Daily Mail, he once symbolised the perfect modern prince, charming, brave and down-to-earth. But the 2022 jubilee underscored how much that image had changed.
The couple have since remained largely in California, with no sign of reconciliation with the royal family or of a turnaround in public opinion. For Harry, the once-familiar cheers have been replaced by boos, and it remains to be seen whether that distance, both literal and emotional, will ever be bridged.
