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LONDON – Crowds outside St. Paul’s Cathedral made a series of jokes, as well as some taunts, by Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as the couple made their first public appearance during the platinum jubilee of St. John’s. Queen Elizabeth II, and her first joint appearance in Britain. as they quit their jobs as royalty.
The couple stayed behind the scenes on the first big day of jubilee celebrations. They were not invited to join the Queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Photographers saw only a glimpse of Meghan playing with some of the queen’s great-grandchildren in a window on the route of the Trooping the Color military parade.
But Harry and Meghan were allowed their time on Friday, joining the family, though they entered separately, for a Thanksgiving service in honor of the Queen.
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, had an even bigger hand when they entered the Anglican Cathedral in the heart of London. The church bells rang when Prince Charles, heir to the throne, arrived.
There was a mixed reaction from viewers at the entrance of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie Johnson. Some booed.
Among those not attending the service was the Queen, who was watching the BBC from her rooms at Windsor Castle. The palace said the monarch felt “some discomfort” during Thursday’s parade and would miss the church service and Saturday’s derby at Epsom Downs. He has been struggling with what the palace calls “mobility issues” in recent months and has missed a number of commitments.
Another notable absence in St. Paul’s: Prince Andrew, the queen’s third son, who has been largely banished from public life since facing sexual abuse allegations and a scandal over his friendship with convicted abuser Jeffrey Epstein . But the palace announced on Thursday that it had also tested positive for coronavirus.
The Queen made an appearance in Windsor on Thursday night. Dressed in aqua water, she looked steady, but perhaps tired, as she placed a gloved hand on a glowing balloon to symbolically illuminate ceremonial beacons in Britain and around the Commonwealth.
“It had been an extraordinarily long day for Her Majesty, but she seemed determined to make that last appearance,” the Royal Daily Telegraph reported.
In his Friday sermon, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, addressed the queen directly and told the congregation what they already knew: that Elizabeth is a lifelong horse lover.
All the Queen’s Horses: From Her First Pony to Macron’s Jubilee Gift
Cottrell joked that he “didn’t have great tips” from above for the Epsom Downs derby races on Saturday, where some of the queen’s horses will appear. Continuing with the equine theme, the archbishop said: “Your Majesty, we are sorry that you are not here with us this morning in person. But we are very happy that you are still in the chair. “
People may forget, but the Queen is also the “Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.” The archbishop praised her for her “steadfast perseverance and steadfastness, faithfulness to God, obedience to a vocation.”
The Prime Minister read from Philippians in the New Testament.
“Rejoice,” Johnson read. “Let your kindness be known to all men. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything, make known to God your prayers and supplications with thanksgiving.”
These days in Britain, of course, political power resides in Johnson and his government, while the queen as head of state has symbolic and ceremonial powers. But there is a steady transition of responsibility and smooth power now passing from the Queen to her son Charles and grandson William, who are playing prominent roles during the jubilee.
Britain celebrates its longest monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The festivities began on June 2nd. (Video: Alexa Juliana Ard / The Washington Post)
The BBC cameras focused mainly on them, but occasionally they were cut to show Harry and Meghan, who were sitting on the other side of the aisle of the main members of the royal family.
The BBC commenter said it looked like Harry and Meghan were being allowed “their own little procession” when they entered, suggesting it was the Queen’s work.
St Paul’s was not the easiest place to see the royals, but that did not stop several hundred from gathering outside, where the streets were surrounded by metal barricades.
Sue Wilmot, a Connecticut-based British mother, flew with her three children to celebrate the jubilee. When the royal family left the church, he lifted his 7-year-old daughter, Orlah, on her shoulders, who became an unofficial crowd photographer, taking pictures on the phones that passed between the crowd. .
Wilmot described the queen as “a rock in our lives: whenever things go wrong, she’s that stable swan that just floats and keeps everyone calm.”
He said it was unfortunate that Harry and Meghan were making fun of him.
“We saw Harry come out and some of us booed, we thought he was sad. We were encouraged. He has a small family that he brought from America and thank God he did. Let his children be a part of that. It’s amazing, one day they’ll be able to look back and say, ‘We celebrated our great-grandmother.’ “
Harry and Meghan’s popularity indexes in Britain have fallen to an all-time low. According to a recent YouGov poll, 32 percent of people see Harry in a positive light, while 58 percent think negatively of him. Meghan is even less popular: only 23 percent of the public have a positive view of her, compared to 63 percent who have a negative view.
Also among those who saw the royal family were Ian Tuer, 64, a transportation manager, and his wife, Valerie, 55, who works as a butcher. They came down from the Lake District.
Valerie said that the appearance of Harry and Meghan will have gone well among the British public: “I think a lot would have been said if they hadn’t appeared. They did the right thing by returning.”
Meghan and Harry remain behind the scenes on the first day of the jubilee celebrations
Ian said it was nice to see Harry and Meghan. “I think they wanted to be here no matter what people think. They made their decision to be the best in Hollywood, and that’s okay. They were well received and they’ll be happy with that.”
As for Prince Charles, Ian said: “He’s a nice boy; he’s been waiting a long time to be king. I think he’ll be quite tolerant; I think he’ll be very approachable. He won’t be there forever; the future of the royal family it was obvious to [Buckingham Palace] balcony ”the day before.
The Sussex are in Britain from California with their young children, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, who will be celebrating their first birthday on Saturday.
This trip is the first time the queen has met Lilibet in person. Harry and Meghan named their daughter Elizabeth, using the nickname of the queen’s childhood.
Harry has only made a few public trips to Britain since settling in California. In April 2021, he attended the funeral of his grandfather, Prince Philip, although he did not return this spring for the Philip Memorial, which was a much bigger affair, as coronavirus restrictions had get up. Last summer, he returned to discover a statue of his late mother, Princess Diana.
Harry’s lawyers have said that the prince does not feel safe when he is in Britain due to the security measures applied to him. He has filed a complaint against the British government after being informed that he would no longer be given the “same degree” of personal protection security when visiting Britain. The prince offered to pay for the security himself, but the British Home Office refused.
In a surprise move, the couple announced in January 2020 that they were “retiring” as members of the royal family. The Queen rejected her offer of “half-entry, half-exit” and stripped them of their royal sponsorships, making it clear in statements that, although the Sussex are highly esteemed members of the royal family, the work went be the first.
The Sussex left for California after a short stay in Canada.
The two sides agreed to a review of the situation after 12 months. But according to Royal Biographer Robert Hardman, the Queen did not expect them to resume British life. Writing in her book “Queen of Our Times,” Hardman says the queen knew the Sussex were unlikely to return as members of the royal family.
“A well-meaning visitor asked if he expected them to return to real life, and he replied firmly,” Of course not. They grabbed the dogs. ”