Crowds outside St. Paul’s Cathedral gave a round of hurrahs, as well as some jeers, for Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as the couple made their first public appearance during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee — and their first joint appearance in Britain since they quit their jobs as royals.
The couple remained behind the scenes on the first big day of jubilee celebrations. They weren’t invited to join the queen on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Photographers caught just a glimpse of Meghan playing with some of the queen’s great-grandchildren in a window above the Trooping the Colour military parade route.
But Harry and Meghan were allowed their moment on Friday, joining the family for a service of thanksgiving — though walking in separately from the working royals, and then being seated in the second row.
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, got bigger applause as they entered the Anglican cathedral in the heart of London. 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.
Among those not attending the service: the queen, who watched on the BBC from her rooms at Windsor Castle. The palace said the monarch felt “some discomfort” during Thursday’s parade and would bow out of the church service and Saturday’s derby at Epsom Downs.
She has been struggling with what the palace calls “mobility issues” in recent months and has missed a number of engagements.
Another notable absence at St. Paul’s: Prince Andrew, the queen’s third child, who has been largely banished from public life since he faced accusations of sexual abuse and a scandal over his friendship with convicted abuser Jeffrey Epstein. The palace announced Thursday that he had also tested positive for the coronavirus.