The Sussexes Will Attend Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, But They Won’t Appear On The Palace Balcony
Well, it looks like Prince Harry was able to work out some kind of security situation that satisfied him enough to feel like it was safe to bring his whole family to the UK. Since he’s rich enough to afford his own personal Batman, I’m going to play it safe and assume he hired Batman. But that’s not the point here, what’s important is that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will return to the UK to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in June. And this time, they’re bringing their kids, Archie (whose third birthday is today) and 11-month-old Lilibet. However, Batman doesn’t have to stress out about any potential safety blindspots on Buckingham Palace’s many balconies, because Harry and the family won’t be doing the whole public balcony appearance with the rest of the Royal Family.
The Queen’s Jubilee is next month, and it’s when everyone will celebrate her majesty making history as the first British monarch to hit 70 years in service. As such, all the Queen’s family are going to show up and show out for her big celebration weekend, including her grandson who lives in California. You know, the one who awkwardly and abruptly decided to quit being a senior royal back in 2020. Harry and Meghan recently made a stop in the UK on their way to attend the Invictus Games in the Netherlands, and they had a quick little 15-minute visit with The Queen. Clearly, things are only awkward with a few members of Harry’s family, and so Harry and Meghan have decided to support The Queen on her special day next month. And, her majesty will finally get to meet the baby that was named after her (or at least named after the cute little nickname she sometimes gets called by her inner circle). via People magazine:
“Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are excited and honored to attend The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children,” according to a spokesperson for the couple.
The trip will be the first time Lili, who was born in California last year, will visit her dad’s homeland. She’ll likely even celebrate her first birthday on June 4 during the trip.
Whatever celebrations Harry, Meghan, and the Sussex kids plan on attending in honor of Harry’s granny might be limited to whatever ones won’t involve high-definition cameras, hand waving-based appearances, or large crowds. Because it sounds like The Queen wants to keep all the big public engagements limited to those who consider themselves full-time working royals. The Queen recently announced that only Senior Royals will be present on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the annual Trooping the Colour, which is the ceremony to honor the official birthday of the current British sovereign. It’s held annually on the second Saturday in June. But because of Liz’s Jubilee, this year’s Trooping will take place on Thursday, June 2. That whole weekend is dedicated to the Jubilee, and right now we have an update on the balcony guest list for Trooping day. Basically, NO STRAGGLERS OR BALCONY CRASHERS. via People:
The news comes shortly after Queen Elizabeth announced that only working members of the royal family will appear for the traditional Buckingham Palace balcony appearance as part of Trooping the Colour, the monarch’s annual public birthday celebration.
“After careful consideration, the Queen has decided that this year’s traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd of June will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen,” a Buckingham Palace spokesman says.
That means The Queen will be joined on the balcony by Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, Prince William and Duchess Kate (and likely their three kids), Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, as well as Elizabeth’s cousins the Duke of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Princess Alexandra. People notes that Prince Edward’s kids will probably also show up on the balcony, and people should also not be surprised to see Princess Anne’s husband Sir Tim Laurence waving to the crowds as well. In addition to Harry and Meghan, The Queen’s disgraced favorite son/alleged fraudster Prince Andrew will also not make an appearance on the balcony. It was rumored last month that The Queen was hoping Andrew could use the Platinum Jubilee as his official comeback weekend. And she’s not one to keep Andrew hidden in the shadows, as he accompanied her to Prince Philip’s memorial back in March.
TMZ notes that Princess Anne’s husband is not a working royal either so some think that Harry was snubbed. And let’s be real here – it feels like someone is playing fast and loose with the criteria for what gets a person up on that balcony. But even if Sir Tim does get past the VIP ropes and onto the balcony, would Harry even care that much? It’s less of a headache for him to remain behind the scenes. If Harry did feel snubbed and demanded his family get balcony privileges, then it’s just going to be a series of musical royal chairs. Harry’s not going to stand anywhere near William or Charles. Meghan and Kate will need at least a four-person deep buffer. Everyone will be fighting over who gets to stand next to the inoffensiveness of Sir Tim. Not everyone can stand next to Sir Tim, he’s just one man!
Pic: INSTARimages