Had the Duke and Duchess of Sussex not left office in March 2020, they and their three-year-old sons Archie and one-year-old Lilibet would have shared the spotlight with the Cambridges.
But his move to the United States means he is no longer considered a member of the front-line royal family, as evidenced when he took the back seat at both Trooping and Friday’s Thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. St. Paul.
Also absent from the party at the palace on Saturday night and the pageant on Sunday, Harry and Meghan have been reduced from the hierarchical order by the children of Cambridge (William’s brother is now sixth in line to the throne). of having been relegated by their own behavior.
It is no coincidence that this weekend there was no interaction between the royal brothers, previously close. The open interview with Oprah Winfrey of Sussex, in which the Royals were accused of racism, is still considered to have crossed a line, especially when the harm it caused has not yet been acknowledged, let alone an apology.
As one attendee at the start of the four-day festivities put it: “The media may try to make them stand out, but they won’t really play a prominent role. A line has been drawn “.
By contrast, the Cambridges could not have been more visible: a deliberate development that has been designed not only by Kensington Palace, but also under the close supervision of the 96-year-old monarch.
Carrying out their first official royal engagement with their children in Cardiff on Saturday, William and Kate sent a clear message with the Queen’s blessing: We are the future.
And that’s not to underestimate the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, who have come to Cambridge as a result of the “Megxit”, as evidenced by the warmth between the couples at St Paul’s, when Charles kissed Kate affectionately. . before the royal procession, and the emotional moment during the pageant in which Prince Louis sat on his grandfather’s lap.
It is simply a matter of reassuring the public that there is not one but three generations of monarchy determined to continue the illustrious legacy of the queen.