Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly felt a deep sense of alienation from the Royal Family during Commonwealth Day five years ago, an event that highlighted growing tensions between the couple and other senior royals.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the annual gathering at Westminster Abbey alongside the rest of the Royal Family, but according to royal author Robert Lacey, the atmosphere was far from harmonious. In his book Battle of Brothers, Lacey describes the moment as one of visible strain and emotional distance between Harry and his family.
“Observers also noted that Harry’s face was ‘quite tense and unsmiling’—and that when William sat down close to him, he barely greeted his brother,” Lacey wrote.
“Throughout the service, Meghan megawatted away with her best TV smile but, as the ceremony progressed, Harry appeared to grow gloomier. His accelerated blinking even suggested he might have been fighting back tears,” an insider revealed.
The event, which was one of Harry and Meghan’s last official royal engagements before stepping back from their roles, was later revisited in their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, where the Duke of Sussex spoke candidly about the emotional toll of the day.
“I felt really distant from the rest of my family, which was interesting because so much of how they operate is about what it looks like, rather than what it feels like,” Harry reflected. “And it looked cold. But it also felt cold.”
The tension-filled day at Westminster Abbey became a defining moment in the Sussexes’ royal journey, signaling their growing estrangement from the monarchy. In the years since, Harry and Meghan have spoken openly about the challenges they faced within the royal institution, ultimately leading them to step back as working royals and relocate to the United States.
While the couple has since built a new life abroad, their relationship with the Royal Family remains strained, with moments like Commonwealth Day serving as reminders of the widening gap between them and the monarchy.
