Meghan MarkleandPrince Harrywill be missing from thebig royal eventon Saturday.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not been invited toTrooping the Colour, the annual public celebration of the British monarch’s birthday. This year will mark the first time the event, which dates back to the 1600s, has taken place during the reign of Harry’s father,King Charles. For the last 70 years, whenQueen Elizabethwas on the throne, it was known as the Queen’s Birthday Parade.
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Buckingham Palace and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s office had no comment.
Prince Harry and Meghan will likely spend Saturday in Montecito, California with their young son and daughter:Prince Archie, 4, andPrincess Lilibet, 2.
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The couple, who have resided in California since stepping back as working members of the royal family in 2020, traveled back to the U.K. forlast year’s Trooping the Colour— the last of the reign of his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth — watching from a room above Horse Guards Parade along with other members of the royal family. That parade formed part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations that marked Queen Elizabeth’s seven decades on the throne.
Prince Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, previously attended Trooping the Colour togetherin 2018(just a month after theirroyal weddingat Windsor Castle) and2019(weeks after welcoming their first child, sonPrince Archie). The event was scaled down in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, held for Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle without a large gathering of members of the royal family.
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Prince Harry was in the U.K. just last week whenhe appeared in court in his caseagainst Mirror Group Newspapers. Hestayed at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. Despite being in such close proximity to the home ofPrince Williamand spending more time in the countrythan he did for Charles' coronationthe previous month, it’s thought that he did not see either his father or brother.
The couple wasinvitedto King Charles and Queen Camilla’s crowning ceremony on May 6. However, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex received an email about the coronation from Charles' office, it became clear that the “sit-down” the prince sought to talk through their issues following the release of his memoirSparewasn’t going to happen, a close friend previously told PEOPLE.
“They didn’t hear from Charles. Harry wanted to hear from his father directly — it’s always through somebody,” the friend said.
Prince Harryattended the event soloand returned to California the same day as the coronation, which fell on his son’s birthday.
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Last Saturday, Prince Williamled the final rehearsalsfor the parade. Afterward, William, 40, praised the troops for stoically carrying on with their preparations despite the severe heat (whichsaw at least one guard faint.)
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And it has emerged that two of King Charles’s siblings — Princess Anne andPrince Edward—will bothhave rolesriding horseback at the parade on June 17.
source: people.com
