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This past June, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their first public appearance alongside the British royal family since stepping down as senior working royals in 2020. They attended the national Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral in London on June 3rd as part of Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. However, their experience reportedly did not go entirely smoothly, with some controversy surrounding their seating arrangement at the event.
According to royal biographer Tom Bower, when Harry and Meghan arrived at their seats, Harry allegedly asked an usher who had approved the seating plan. He received a rather blunt response - that it had been approved by Queen Elizabeth herself. This prompted some speculation that Harry was unhappy with being seated in the second row, rather than up front with the rest of the senior royals. Royal expert Katie Nicholl later stated that the Sussexes' decision to cut their Jubilee weekend short may have been due to issues with the seating.
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While Harry and Meghan didn't cause a visible scene, some observers noted that their placement in the second row, rather than the front next to the immediate royal family, seemed to be a subtle snub. They were seated near Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, who unlike Harry are not senior working royals. Significantly, Beatrice and Eugenie did not scoot down afterwards to make room for Harry and Meghan to sit directly next to them.
On the other side of the church in the prime first row seats were Charles, Camilla, William and Kate. This physical separation of Harry from his father and brother perhaps underscored the current divide within the family. The arrangement also meant that after the 50-minute service, as the congregation exited the church, Harry would be separated from Charles and William.
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As Harry and Meghan left the service, they had a brief conversation with Zara Tindall, Harry's cousin, on the church steps. But they did not appear to interact with Charles, Camilla, William or Kate. Some observers say William and Kate even appeared to be discussing the service together as they left. This further fueled speculation that tensions remain high between the brothers.
According to biographer Tom Bower, an usher informed Harry that Queen Elizabeth herself had approved the seating plan for the service. In an interview with GB News, Bower claimed the Queen wanted to prevent Harry and Meghan from "overshadowing the occasion" by being seated prominently in the first row.
Bower went on to share an intriguing rumor he had heard - that Harry and Meghan had intentionally arrived late to St. Paul's Cathedral in order to make a dramatic entrance down the aisle to their seats. However, when they asked for everyone in the row to stand up so they could process down to their seats 9 and 10, the usher replied "no, you're supposed to sit in 9 and 10. Who instructed you to direct me to a seat?" When Harry inquired further, the usher reportedly responded bluntly "Your granny."
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Due to the seating arrangement issues, some experts believe this may have contributed to Harry and Meghan's decision to depart from the Jubilee celebrations early. While the rest of the working royals attended the spectacular Buckingham Palace balcony appearance and pageant on June 5th, Harry and Meghan had already returned home to California with their children. Royal editor Katie Nicholl told True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat that she believes "it's because they knew that they wouldn't be in the first row. They left the royal family but why? It was her. They departed because the front row wasn't available to them. They didn't have seats in the front row so I think that's why they missed the other celebrations."
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As the debate continues around Harry's future visits to the UK and whether he should receive taxpayer-funded police protection, a recent poll by Yougov found that over half of respondents believe Harry should be allowed police security during visits to Britain. However, most said he should have to pay for it himself now that he is no longer a working royal. Only 28% felt he should not have any police protection in the UK at all. While there are differing views, it seems the majority feel if Harry wants the safety benefit of police presence, he himself should bear the financial responsibility as a non-working member of the family.
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In conclusion, Harry and Meghan's experience at the Jubilee service showed that while they have stepped back from royal duties, tensions still exist within the family around their place and protocol. The seating arrangement controversy highlighted remaining divisions, and may have contributed to their earlier-than-expected departure from the Jubilee celebrations. As the Sussexes continue to balance private and public lives, debates will persist around Harry's security protections and how his role as a royal in transition should properly be defined.
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