How Prince Harry and Meghan faced an icy homecoming at Queen’s Jubilee in 2022 (Picture credit: AP)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s return to the UK for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 was anything but a warm homecoming. According to Daily Mail, the couple’s appearance at the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral was carefully stage-managed by royal aides to avoid awkward interactions with senior royals, especially Prince William.
Tensions were still running high after the Sussexes’ explosive 2021 Oprah interview, in which they accused an unnamed royal of making a racist remark and Harry claimed his father, King Charles, had cut him off financially.
As per Daily Mail, royal officials were determined to prevent a repeat of the frosty atmosphere from the pair’s last joint appearance with the family at Westminster Abbey in 2020. The seating plan at St Paul’s was therefore designed to place Harry and Meghan far from William, Charles, and the Queen’s close working royals.
Although logistical concerns were handled with precision, the Sussexes arrived and left separately from senior royals and were seated on the opposite side of the aisle—the public’s reaction proved less predictable.
As Harry and Meghan stepped out of the cathedral, a mix of cheers and boos rang out.
According to Daily Mail, it was their first public royal engagement together since stepping back from duties and the jeering signalled how dramatically public sentiment had shifted.
Royal correspondents, including Sky’s Kay Burley and Rhiannon Mills described the crowd’s response as “mixed,” though others, such as MailOnline’s reporter on the scene, said cheering for William and Kate was the “biggest of the day by some margin.” AFP footage also captured audible boos as the couple exited.
Inside the cathedral, their second-row placement, behind non-working royals, underscored their diminished status. Charles and Camilla, representing the Queen, were seated prominently in the front row alongside William and Kate. Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan were seated between Lady Chatto and Princess Eugenie’s husband, Jack Brooksbank. There was no visible interaction between the brothers, highlighting the depth of their rift.
According to Daily Mail, a palace source described the seating as “a typically elegant solution,” explaining, “The Queen wants her family there and they are still part of it. But in a carefully controlled fashion.”
The day also offered no sign of the Netflix crews that had followed the couple during previous engagements, a relief to royal courtiers wary of media exploitation. Yet tensions lingered over privacy.
The Sun reported at the time that Harry and Meghan were denied permission to bring a personal photographer when introducing their daughter Lilibet to the Queen, due to fears the image might be leaked to US media.
Later, the Sussexes left for Frogmore Cottage and skipped a royal reception. For Harry, who once topped polls as Britain’s most popular royal, the experience marked a fall from grace.
As per Daily Mail, he once symbolised the perfect modern prince, charming, brave and down-to-earth. But the 2022 jubilee underscored how much that image had changed.
The couple have since remained largely in California, with no sign of reconciliation with the royal family or of a turnaround in public opinion. For Harry, the once-familiar cheers have been replaced by boos, and it remains to be seen whether that distance, both literal and emotional, will ever be bridged.
