Harry and Meghan step out into Queen’s limelight

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have made their first public appearance in Britain in two years, seated away from senior royals | WATCH

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex depart after the National Service of Thanksgiving to Celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen at St Paul's Cathedral on June 3.

Prince Harry and wife ­Meghan have appeared in public with other members of the royal family for the first time in two years, at a church service marking the Queen’s 70-year reign.

But any hopes of a healing of the rift ­between the California-based couple and the British ­royals ­appeared unlikely. Harry and Meghan arrived mostly to cheers from the crowd as they ­entered St Paul’s Cathedral hand-in-hand, were seated several ­metres away from Prince Charles and Camilla, and Prince William and Kate.

Friday’s service was the second major event in four days of celebrations marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The expectation had been that the entire royal family would be united, but Buckingham Palace announced shortly before the service that the 96-year-old Queen would be ­absent. She had experienced “some discomfort” after two ­appearances on the palace balcony on Thursday following the Trooping the Colour ceremony.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie at St Paul's on Friday. Picture: AFP

“Taking into account the journey and ­activity required to participate in (Friday’s) National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, Her Majesty with great ­reluctance has concluded that she will not attend,” the palace said.

Also absent on Friday was Prince Andrew, who was forced to stay away after testing positive for Covid.

The Sussexes are in London to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.

Charles represented the Queen at St Paul’s during a service in which she was praised by the Archbishop of York for “staying the course”. The Archbishop of Canterbury was to have led the service but he too tested positive for Covid.Referencing the Queen’s love of horse racing, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell said: “Your Majesty, we’re sorry you’re not with us this morning in person, but you are still in the saddle. And we are all glad that there is still more to come. So thank you for staying the course. Thank you for continuing to be faithful to the ­pledges you made 70 years ago. Thank you for showing us how service and faithfulness matter.”

Prince William and his wife Kate the Duchess of Cambridge leave St Paul's Cathedral.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who arrived with wife Carrie, gave a reading as his predecessors, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May, looked on.

Courtiers have urged the Queen to pace herself during the public events for her record-breaking 70 years on the throne because of her difficulties standing and walking. What the palace describes as “episodic mobility problems” forced her to pull out of engagements since last October.

Harry and Meghan were hailed as the modern face of the monarchy after they wed in 2018. But less than two years later they quit royal life and moved to the US, launching a series of damaging broadsides, including of racism.

The couple are shown to their seats, several ­metres away from Prince Charles and Camilla, and Prince William and Kate.

Andrew was also excluded. He is in disgrace for his friendship with US billionaire paedophile ­ Jeffrey Eptsein and has been stripped of his royal patronages.

Harry and Meghan have set up a charitable foundation in California, but angered royal supporters for leaving Britain and then lifting the lid on royal life in a bombshell television interview.

A recent YouGov poll indicated the couple’s popularity with the British public has slumped to an all-time low. Some 63 per cent hold a negative view of them.

On Friday, all eyes were watching for signs of tension with other family members, notably Harry’s brother William, 39, or Meghan with Kate.

Harry said in an October 2019 that he and William were on “different paths”. The pair were last seen in public at the unveiling of a statue to their mother, Diana, in July 2021, and at the funeral of their grandfather that April.

William has been the only senior royal to publicly comment on Harry and Meghan’s racism claims, saying: “We are very much not a racist family”. Harry and Meghan, who have children ­Archie and Lilibet, made a private visit to see the Queen at Windsor Castle in May. They will introduce Lilibet to the Queen on Saturday, when the toddler turns one.

AFP