Buckingham Palace confirmed on Friday that Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex will not be present on the palace balcony when Queen Elizabeth II greets the public on June 2.
The royal family smiles and waves to fans at home and millions watching on television around the world, during their balcony appearance which is a highlight of many royal celebrations. However, questions have been raised over whether Andrew, Harry, and Meghan would be in such public limelight during a sex scandal and family disputes in the run-up to the celebrations commemorating Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne.
After the traditional military review known as Trooping the Color, the queen has decreed that only working members of the royal family will join her on the balcony to watch a Royal Air Force fly past.
“The queen has decided that this year’s annual Trooping the Color balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd June will be confined to Her Majesty and those members of the royal family who are currently performing formal public obligations on behalf of the queen,” the palace announced.
Andrew’s standing has been questioned after he signed a multimillion-pound deal with a woman who accused him of sexual exploitation. In the wake of the claims and his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew stood down from royal duties and was deprived of his honorary military titles. Despite this, rumors in the British media have surfaced that Andrew desired a public part in the Jubilee after the lawsuit was settled.
In an interview with NBC last month, Harry also hinted at the prospect of a balcony appearance, but he claimed: that “security considerations and everything else” could complicate such a choice. Harry and Meghan, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex retired from public life in 2020 and relocated to California. They are embroiled in a legal struggle with the British Home Office about security preparations for visits to the United Kingdom.
As the Jubilee plans began to take shape, Harry and Meghan revealed on Friday that they would be traveling to the United Kingdom for the celebrations.
“Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke, and Duchess of Sussex are thrilled and delighted to be invited to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations with their children this June,” a spokesperson for the couple said.
While Andrew and the Sussexes will not accompany the queen on the balcony, they will be able to attend other events as members of the royal family, according to a palace source who spoke on the condition of anonymity in accordance with palace policy.
Because of the queen’s decision, three of her four children and their spouses will accompany her on the balcony: Prince Andrew and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Princess Anne and retired Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence; and Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
Prince William, Harry’s older brother, will be on the balcony with his wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and their three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis. After his father Charles, William is the second in line to the throne.
