THE SECOND-TIER SUSSEXES
The jubilee left it in no doubt that Prince Harry and Meghan are no longer royal A-listers.
The pair watched Trooping the Colour from a window in Buckingham Palace and weren’t part of the family carriage procession or the balcony gathering.
They also dodged any airport arrival photo-fests, with reports suggesting the queen sent cars to collect them from a private airport.
Everything stayed under the radar with the tacit agreement they wouldn’t upstage the queen at any stage.
The Sussexes’ only public appearance was at the thanksgiving service where they were met with cheers and a few boos from bystanders.
Inside the church, their new status was evident in their relegation to a second-row pew along with other minor royals. They were also absent from the lunch reception.
“It’s likely they would’ve been urged to stay on-message and remain in the background, part of the backing band rather than the centre of attention,” a royal insider says.
“This quieter approach, without appearances and interviews, might’ve been a way of re-establishing family links and connections with home.”
The couple used their visit to introduce their daughter, Lilibet – who turned one year old on day three of the festivities – to her namesake, the queen.
The couple brought along a private photographer in a bid to capture the iconic moment, but Her Majesty put her foot down, according to insiders.
“They were told ‘no chance’ because it was a private family meeting,” a palace insider says.
The couple did release two photos from Lilibet’s birthday party at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor a day after the jubilee weekend. It’s only the second time the public has seen little Lili – she first appeared in a family portrait for the Sussexes’ official 2021 Christmas card.
Harry and Meghan slipped out of the UK hours ahead of the jubilee pageant and were later snapped after landing in California in their private plane.
Royal author Angela Levin believes the couple were probably kept apart from Prince Charles and Prince William because of their ongoing rift and fears that any private conversations could end up in Harry’s memoirs or on a US chat show.
“I do wonder if Harry and Meghan decided, ‘We’ve had enough of this, let’s go early’,” she says.
“I think they believed they’d come back and be welcomed with open arms. But the truth is that the world, and the royal family, has moved on without them.”
Investigative journalist Tom Bower, who’s working on a biography of Meghan, says palace officials were “unusually skilful” in managing the Sussexes.
“Just enough exposure to please the queen but at the same time limited enough to show them they’ve been sidelined.”