A shift in the royal spotlight
AS QUEEN RESTS, JUBILEE ATTENTION TURNS TO CHARLES AND WILLIAM — AND A VISITING HARRY
Crowds outside of St. Paul's gave a nice round of hurrahs for Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as the couple made their first public appearance of the Platinum Jubilee celebration for Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, got an even bigger hand as they entered the Anglican cathedral in the heart of London for a service of thanksgiving on Day 2 of jubilee events. The church bells rang as Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, arrived. There was a mixed reaction from spectators to the entrance of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie Johnson. Some booed.
The Queen was absent, watching the show on the BBC from her rooms at Windsor Castle.
The palace alerted the public that the monarch began to feel “some discomfort” at Thursday's
Trooping the Colour ceremony and so would not attend. She has been struggling with what the palace calls “mobility issues” in recent months.
Still, she made an appearance at Windsor on Thursday night. She looked steady on her feet, but perhaps tired, as she placed a gloved hand on a glittering globe, to symbolically light the beacons in Britain and around the Commonwealth.
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 lover of horses.
Cottrell made a joke that he had “no great tips” from on high for the derby races at Epsom Downs on Saturday, where some of the Queen's horses will appear.
Continuing the equine theme, the archbishop said, “your majesty, we are sorry you are not here with us this morning in person. But we are so glad you are still in the saddle.”
The archbishop praised her for a “staunch constancy and a steadfast consistency, a faithfulness to God, an obedience to a vocation.”
There is a steady transition of responsibility — and soft power — passing to her son Charles and grandson William, who are playing more prominent roles during the jubilee.
The BBC cameras mostly focused on them, but occasionally cut away to showcase Harry and Meghan.
The BBC commentator said that it appeared Harry and Meghan were allowed “their own little procession” as they entered, which he suggested was the doing of the Queen.
St. Paul's wasn't the easiest place to catch a glimpse of royals, but that didn't stop several hundred from gathering outside.
Among those at the front were Ian Tuer, 64, a transport manager, and his wife Valerie, 55, who works as a butcher. They travelled down from the Lake District.
Valerie said Harry and Meghan's appearance will have gone down well with the British public: “I think there would have been a lot said if they hadn't appeared. They've done the right thing coming back.”
Ian said that it was good to see Harry and Meghan. “I think they wanted to be here no matter what people thought. They made their decision to be Hollywood A-listers and that's fine. They got a good reception and they will be happy about that.”
As for Prince Charles, Ian said, “He's a nice guy, he's waited a long time to be king, I think he'll be quite tolerant, I think he'll be hugely approachable, he won't be there forever, the future of the Royal Family was obvious on the balcony” the day before.
The Sussexes are in Britain from California with children, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, who will celebrate her first birthday on Saturday.
This trip marks the first time that the Queen has met Lilibet in person.
According to royal biographer Robert Hardman, the Queen is not expecting them to resume their British life. Writing in his book “Queen of Our Times,” Hardman says that she knew that the Sussexes were unlikely to return as senior royals.
“Asked by one well-meaning visitor if she expected them to resume royal life, she replied firmly, `Of course not. They took the dogs.'”