Prince Harry is ‘causing a headache’ with a ‘very strange’ desire that he and Meghan Markle be included in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Next year, the country will mark the event’s 70th anniversary with what was conceived as a four-day extravaganza of public celebrations, including parades and pomp.
In November, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden announced that the British will also take advantage of a four-day holiday between June 2-5 to commemorate the landmark.
And it looks like the queen’s grandson, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, who missed their honorary military appointments and royal sponsorships, are eager to join in the fun.
But the couple’s planned presence is causing problems for Buckingham Palace after the Queen confirmed that the pair would break all official ties to the firm after they decided to resign from their duties and step out of public service forever.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Now The Sun reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who left the royal family last year, want to return for family occasions.
Speaking to the newspaper, ‘an insider’ would have said: “Harry wants to be there. It’s already causing a headache and it’s going to be really weird.
“Where will they be positioned if they appear? What events can they participate in? Are we going to put them on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the flypast?
“This is a celebration of the Queen’s 70 years of service to the nation and should not be overshadowed. Now there are so many questions about what to do with Harry and Meghan. “
After the announcement of the military title was made, Buckingham Palace said in a statement that they are “saddened by their decision”, but said that Meghan and Harry “remain very dear members of the family”.
(Image: PA)
In response, a spokesman for Harry and Meghan said: “As evidenced by their work last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the UK and around the world, and offered their support continuity to the organizations they played regardless of the official role.
“We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”
It is unclear what the Queen’s birthday celebrations will look like next year, in the wake of the Covid pandemic with Buckingham Palace, but no change in plans has yet been confirmed.
Prince Harry is due to travel to the UK in late summer to reveal the statue of his future mother, Princess Diana.
It turns out that Prince William was “shocked” by his brother’s behavior towards the monarch, after Harry and Meghan issued a statement moments after the queen confirmed that their royal sponsorships would be returned to her.
The courtiers and other family members were also upset by the tone of the duo’s response to the Queen, in which they replied saying “service is universal”.
In a busy week for royalty, Harry and Meghan, who are expecting their second child later this year, spoke about their role within the firm in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The interview of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which is due to air in early March, will be reissued following the final chapter of their feud with the royal family.
Buckingham Palace would have been taken by surprise by the announcement of the revealing interview.