Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will not be attending Trooping the Colour, King Charles’ official birthday celebration, for the third year in a row.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were reportedly not invited to Saturday’s ceremony, according to PEOPLE.
The decision follows a trend established after Charles became king in 2022. The last time Harry and Meghan attended Trooping the Colour was during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. At that event, they stayed out of the public spotlight, watching the parade from a separate room with other non-working royals and skipping the traditional balcony appearance.
Harry, 40, recently lost a legal case to restore his state-funded security in the U.K. In a BBC interview last month, he admitted he couldn’t see himself bringing his wife and their two children — Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4 — back to Britain under the current conditions.
“I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point,” the Duke of Sussex said.
Prince Harry Remains Optimistic About Mending His Relationship With King Charles
Prince Harry’s absence from Trooping the Colour reflects ongoing tensions between him and King Charles, highlighted by Harry’s admission that his father is not speaking to him. Despite the estrangement, Harry has said he still wants to reconcile.
“I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” Harry told the BBC last month.
“Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has,” he added. “He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.”
Meghan, 43, was set to attend a museum gala in Los Angeles on the same day as Trooping. However, the event was canceled earlier this week due to ongoing protests in the city.
PEOPLE also confirmed that King Charles, 76, will ride in a carriage at Trooping the Colour for the second year in a row, as he continues receiving treatment for cancer.