MEGHAN AND HARRY. As British citizens celebrate 70 years of their Queen’s reign, the world is watching for appearances from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex Harry and Meghan. After their break with the royal family, will they make public appearances with Archie and Lilibeth?
As Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations have been in full swing since June 2, 2022, the question arises as to when Meghan and Harry, exiled for a year and a half in America, will make official public appearances. Well present, but behind the scenes, at Buckingham Palace during the military parade launching the festivities, they made a remarkable public appearance this Friday, June 3 at the mass celebrated at Saint Paul’s Cathedral. This is an opportunity for them to appear again alongside the British royal family. The attitudes of Harry and William, crown prince, will be particularly scrutinized, their relationship having deteriorated considerably over the past 2 years.
As a reminder, in January 2020, the couple officially renounced their royal commitments and then moved to California. In March 2021, startling revelations about intimate life and their relationship to the royal family during an interview with Oprah Winfrey reignited tensions between the couple, Charles and Prince William. This break could be resolved thanks to the arrival in London of Meghan and Harry for the Queen’s Jubilee in June 2022. The couple should make other public appearances during their stay, and, with a little luck, their children Archie and Lilibet could accompany them.
Prince Harry, son of Lady Diana and Prince Charles, has a military career and is involved in his official engagements with the royal family. He met in June 2016, through a mutual friend, the American actress Meghan Markle known for her role as Rachel Zane in the judicial television series Suits. They go on vacation together in Botswana and form a discreet couple, concerned about protecting their privacy. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement on November 27, 2017. The following day, their wedding date was officially announced for May 19, 2018 at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. In view of the marriage, Meghan Markle is baptized and confirmed in the Anglican faith. Shortly before the ceremony, the Queen grants Harry and Meghan the title of Duke and Duchess of Sussex. They are cheered on by nearly 100,000 visitors to the city of Windsor and their wedding is watched by nearly 2 billion viewers.
In January 2020, via Instagram, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle expressed their desire to put an end to their duties with regard to the royal family and their intention to withdraw from it. They also want to gain financial independence and live between North America and England. The case caused a stir and the English tabloid press nicknamed it “Megxit”, in reference to Brexit. The couple retain the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but renounce the predicate of royal highnesses. They lose their right to police protection and must reimburse the taxpayer for the £2.4million spent on refurbishing Frogmore Cottage, the mansion they were intended to reside in. In March 2020, they moved with their son to Beverly Hills and then to Montecito in California. Financially independent of the British crown, they embarked on various activities in order to finance their lifestyle and the devices necessary for their safety. The couple notably signs a multi-year contract, estimated at 100 million dollars, in order to produce series, documentaries and even children’s programs. They now live with their two children, Archie and Lilibeth, in the Santa Barbara neighborhood in northwest Los Angeles..
Megan and Harry, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are the proud parents of Archie and Lilibeth Mountbatten-Windsor. Meghan Markle’s first pregnancy is particularly scrutinized by the international media. Young Archie Harrison was born on May 6, 2019 in London. He is 7th in the line of succession to the British throne. It is presented two days later to the international media on May 8, 2019 in the St. George’s Gallery at Windsor Castle. Archie was baptized on July 6, 2019 in the private chapel of Windsor Castle, the first names of his godparents are not known. Barely a year old, he left the United Kingdom with his parents and grew up in Los Angeles. In February 2021, her parents announced that they were expecting their second child. The couple announce they are expecting a baby girl during the “Oprah with Meghan and Harry” interview. Lilibeth Diana was born on June 4, 2021 at 11:40 a.m. at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California. His birth is announced two days later.
In the Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021, Meghan revisited the rumor that she made her sister-in-law Kate Middleton cry at her wedding over a disagreement over bridesmaids’ dresses. The American denied and put things in the right order, assuring: “The reverse happened. I’m not saying that to denigrate anyone, because it was a really difficult week, and she was upset about something. But she acknowledged what happened and apologized, gave me flowers and sent me a letter begging my forgiveness.” Initially hurt, Meghan explained that she had no hard feelings and called the Duchess of Cambridge a “good person”.
Despite all the revelations-confessions, the wife of prince Harry had wanted to send a message to the sovereign Elizabeth II, to make her understand that she had nothing to reproach him for, quite the contrary. “There is the family, and then there are the people who run the institution, they are two separate things and it is important to be able to compartmentalize them because the Queen, for example, has always been extraordinary with me”, had -she said in the 2021 interview with CBS and presenter Oprah Winfrey.
Harry also spoke during this interview, showing his attachment to his wife and approving her approach. He did not hide the fact that their departure and their choice to live on the other side of the Atlantic was accelerated by their fear of having to endure the unspoken for years. Harry insisted on his fear that “history will repeat itself”, in reference to the death of his mother. “I had three conversations with my grandma, and two conversations with my dad before he stopped taking my calls. And then he was like, ‘can you write this down?'” he launched, moved, saying he was “really disappointed” by the behavior of his family. “I was stuck in a system, as are my father and my brother as well. And I have a lot of compassion for that”, he however nuanced. Exchanges have however resumed between the prince and his father, Harry assured “I will always love him” but recognizes that it will take time and work to improve relations.
Relations between Diana and Charles’ two sons, William and Harry, have taken a stormy turn in recent years. In the 2021 interview with CBS, Harry also reaffirmed his love for his brother despite them being “on different paths”. The only one Harry didn’t have the slightest blame for was his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. “I have deep respect for her. She is my Colonel-in-Chief. She will remain so,” he said. Prince Charles and his son Prince William were reportedly “saddened” by Harry and Meghan’s behavior and messages, regretting that they were unable to mend the wounds caused between the two sides, according to The Mirror. A palace source told the Mirror: “There is a distinct feeling inside the camp that there must be a better way to solve the problems by coming together, rather than the nuclear decision that resulted in what everything is discussed so publicly and for no reason.” However, another source assures: “There will always be a willingness to mend relationships, even if they are quite broken, but first everyone has to take a step back to try to understand why it has come to this. ” The interview granted in 2021 reminded some of the settling of accounts against the background of adultery between Lady Diana and Prince Charles, broadcast 25 years ago on the BBC…