It has been confirmed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be attending the Queen's Jubilee parties this June along with their children Archie and Lilibet.
This will be the first time since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be bringing their family to the UK since leaving the country and moving to North America. A spokeswoman for the couple, who are celebrating Archie's third birthday today (May 6), said: “Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are excited and honoured to attend The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children.”
However, despite The Sussexes attending the parties, they won't be seen on the balcony alongside other Royal Family members. This is due to the monarch deciding that only royals who are carrying out official public duties will be allowed to stand alongside her on the balcony.
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Four days of Jubilee festivities will start on June 2 with Trooping the Colour, the sovereign's official birthday parade, which will see 18 members of the Royal Family set to gather on the famous balcony at Buckingham Palace. However, another member of the royal family who has been snubbed is Prince Andrew who was stripped of his honorary military titles and forced to no longer use his HRH style.
In 2019, Andrew stepped from his public duties and a few weeks ago paid millions out of court to settle a civil sexual assault case. Buckingham Palace has said that the Queen's decision to only include royals carrying out official public duties was taken “after careful consideration”.
We may not get to see Prince Andrew, Prince Harry or Meghan on the balcony, but there'll be an array of other royal faces that will make an appearance. Joining Her Majesty is the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
The head of state has made an exception for Anne’s husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim, who is not a working royal, and her two youngest grandchildren Lady Louise and James, and her Cambridge great-grandchildren George, Charlotte and Louis. A Palace source said: “Other family members will be invited to events. We’ve always made that clear and they are likely to be public events.”
