Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Prince Andrew won’t appear on the palace balcony during the Queen’s Jubilee
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Buckingham Palace on Friday answered one of the biggest remaining questions about Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations: saying that Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, won’t be on the palace balcony when the monarch greets the public on June 2. The balcony appearance is a highlight of many royal celebrations. Members of the royal family smile and wave to their fans at home, as well as millions watching from around the globe.
But the build-up to the ceremonies marking Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne have been dogged by questions about whether Andrew, Harry and Meghan would be in such a public spotlight amid a sex scandal and family tensions.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Prince Andrew will not be present on the palace balcony as the monarch greets the public at the Jubilee event on June 2.
(Kirsty Wigglesworth)
The queen has now settled the matter, decreeing that only working members of the royal family will join her on the balcony to watch a Royal Air Force fly-past after the traditional military review known as Trooping the Color. After careful consideration, the queen decided that this year’s traditional Trooping The Color balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd Juni will be restricted to Her Majesty and members of the royal families who are currently performing official public duties for the queen.
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The decision comes amid a debate over Andrew’s status after he reached a multimillion pound settlement with a woman who accused him of sexual exploitation.
A view showing the balcony on Buckingham Palace in London, Friday, May 6, 2022. Buckingham Palace answered one of the most important questions regarding Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations on Friday by confirming that Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, and Meghan, the Duchess, will not be present on the palace balcony when she greets the public on June 2.
(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Andrew stepped away from royal duties and was stripped of his honorary military titles amid the scandal caused by the allegations and his links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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Still, Britain’s media has been awash with reports that Andrew wanted a public role in the Jubilee after he settled the lawsuit.
Harry opened the possibility of appearing on the balcony in an interview with NBC last week, but he stated that “security issues and all other” could complicate such a decision.
Harry and Meghan, also known as the duke and duchess of Sussex, stepped away from frontline royal duties and moved to California in 2020. They are locked in a legal battle with Britain’s Home Office over security arrangements when they travel to the U.K.
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As plans for the Jubilee began to take shape, Harry and Meghan announced Friday they would travel to the U.K. for the festivities. Prince Harry (and Meghan) are thrilled and honored to attend the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations with their children this June,” a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said.
The Queen will be accompanied by three of her children and their spouses on the balcony: Prince Charles, Camilla, and Princess Anne, the Duchess, and retired Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence; Prince Edward, and Sophie, the Countess, of Wessex
(Yui Mok, AP, File)
While Andrew and the Sussexes won’t join the queen on the balcony, as members of the royal family they would be free to attend other events, a palace source said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with palace policies.
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The queen’s decision means that she will be accompanied on the balcony by three of her four children and their spouses: Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall; Princess Anne and retired Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence; and Prince Edward and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex.
Prince William (Harry’s older brother) and his wife, Catherine the Duchess, will also be present on the balcony along with their three children, George and Charlotte, respectively. William is second in his line to the throne, after his father Charles.
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