Two feuding families were today reunited to pay tribute to the Queen and her record-breaking 70-year reign, but the distance between them could not have been more evident.
One side dedicated to duty, diligently carrying on the long-held tradition set by the monarch – that, simply, duty comes before everything.
The other, who ditched their royal roles in favour of earning millions in the corporate world and a rumoured reality TV-style documentary about their new lives away from The Firm.
In the majestic, awe-inspiring setting of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, the tension was palpable among the 2,000-strong congregation.
In one sense, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were damned from the start of any appearance they might make at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Too much Hollywood glitz and they stood accused of upstaging Her Majesty.
Too little and their anything less than exuberant expression was an affront to the occasion.
But the painted-on smiles they did seem to muster did little to hide the intense awkwardness of the occasion.
Amid rumours of a lunch with the Queen after the Trooping the Colour ceremony, quickly quashed, and a confirmed secret visit to Prince Charles’ home today, Harry and Meghan seem to be trying to go under the radar to stave off accusations of hogging the limelight.
On their first public outing together, they launched a united front, holding hands and striding confidently into the cathedral first.
Palace insiders often remarked from the start of their married life how they wanted to not only “hit the ground running”, but take on an ultra-marathon leaving everyone in their wake.
As they learned in any big corporation, things take on a certain order, especially in this Firm. A crunching reminder just how far down that order they were would have surely hit home today, when they were relegated to the de-facto fourth row, around 20ft away from his brother on the other side of the St Paul’s aisle – next to Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank.
As Prince William and Kate entered ahead of the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince of Wales, deputising for the Queen, all eyes centred on the future king to see if he would acknowledge Harry. But sticking to the script, William and Kate, Charles and Camilla, stared ahead before taking their seats. But it was Harry, so often conflicted with his position in the world and fractured relationship with William, who couldn’t help craning his neck to catch a glimpse of his brother.
Perhaps that was more indication than ever of where Harry’s head is. Caught between a new life he has desperately craved for so long and still longing for a relationship with his father and brother.
With two days to go until the curtain closes on the Jubilee celebrations, just how long Harry and Meghan will stick around for is not yet known, perhaps even by the family they have apparently flown across the world to visit.
While they may show up unannounced at tonight’s Buckingham Palace music extravaganza, or the People’s Pageant on Sunday, they could equally exit stage left fleeing home to Montecito under the cover of darkness, with everyone breathing a sigh of relief on the way.
