It's the end of the royal road for Harry and Meghan, at least for now. All eyes were on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they made their final appearance as senior royals. While their transition isn't complete until the end of this month, there were some notable changes to the Commonwealth Day service procession that indicate Harry and Meghan are already getting used to their new normal.
The procession into the Commonwealth Day service raised a number of eyebrows. It varies from year to year, depending on who attends and their seniority. Last year, for example, William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan joined the Queen in the formal entrance.
This year, however, it was just Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall who joined the Queen. The Fab Four headed straight for their seats prior to the formal entrance.
Many speculate that the younger royals were asked to sit this one out so as to not draw more attention to Harry and Meghan's departure from The Firm.
Today's Commonwealth Day service marks the end of Harry and Meghan's appearances as senior members of the royal family. While there's no telling what the future may bring, the present shows that some of those changes are already being felt throughout the house of Mountbatten-Windsor. It was evident in how the day's events unfolded.
Let's begin with the procession into the Commonwealth Day service. Last year, we saw William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan join Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall as they formally entered Westminster Abbey. This year, things were looking quite different.
Harry and Meghan entered Westminster Abbey and headed straight for their seats. They were seated in the second row, along with Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Reports indicated that Harry and Meghan wouldn't be part of the procession.
The surprise came when William and Kate entered Westminster Abbey and also took to their seats immediately. The couple was supposed to participate in the procession, as it appeared in the official Order of Service. This means the decision was made at the last minute.
William and Kate took to their seats and turned to greet those behind them. Footage from the moment shows William and Kate greeting Edward and Sophie. They seem to entirely ignore Harry and Meghan, however.
Many were expecting the reunion between the four to be awkward. What did transpire, however, was much icier. Fans of the royals were surprised to see how the greeting went down, as William and Kate often behave by the book.
One royal fan tried to give the benefit of the doubt and noted there may have been pretext we missed. "Okay even I had to admit that was cold," wrote one Instagram commenter. "They better had [sic] a meetup before so that this was only their second greeting during the day, because that's no way to greet a [brother] when you first see them."
It's a little hard to make excuses for when they knew everyone would be watching. It's no secret that Harry and Meghan's decision to step back as senior royals has garnered a ton of media attention. There was no way anyone was going to miss this moment, but what was the message behind it?
There is talk of discord between the brothers yet again. "They didn’t leave on good terms by any means, but they are both relieved that it’s over," a family friend revealed to People magazine. It's the latest in the ups and downs in the brotherly relationship.
This comes after recent reports that things have been going better between the brothers. "The brothers don’t hate each other as has been reported," a royal source told Entertainment Tonight.
"The separate households that were created improved the relationship so they weren’t having to talk about business," the source says.
"The brothers have different futures with very important institutional roles and that created a complicated relationship. Once the households separated, things improved," the source noted.
"But that’s not to say William and other members of the family weren’t disappointed when Harry and Meghan announced they were no longer choosing to be senior royal members."
Is there a chance that Meghan threw a little shade of her own with her green dress? Her stunning look was thought by some to be a dig at Kate's looks during her recent royal tour of Ireland. Kate looked great in her own right, but Meghan's look definitely had something more to it.
"But ultimately everyone wanted Harry and Meghan to be happy," the source noted.
"William has always expressed concern for Harry. Since they were children, William has always watched out for his younger brother."
As for Harry and Meghan, their immediate next steps are unclear beyond returning to Canada. Many are expecting some big announcements coming from the couple next month. Everyone is also interested to see what name their brand might take on once they drop the "royal."
