Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were absent from the royal family’s mourning ceremony for the late Prince Philip on Tuesday morning.
Queen Elizabeth II was accompanied to Westminster Abbey by her troubled son Prince Andrew for the Service of Thanksgiving honoring the Duke of Edinburgh.
Among those present at the event were the Queen’s 95-year-old son Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, as well as Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
Prince William and Kate Middleton, who had just returned from a contentious Caribbean trip, were also in attendance, together with their son Prince George, 8, and daughter Princess Charlotte, 6. Prince Louis, their three-year-old son, was not present.
“The Service, in particular, paid tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh’s contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organizations with which His Royal Highness was associated throughout his life,” the royal family wrote in a statement shared to Instagram on Tuesday.
They added in another post, “His Royal Highness led an extraordinary life — seeing active service in the Second World War as a Naval Officer, supporting The Queen as consort for over 60 years, and pursuing his many interests and convictions through his hugely varied patronages.
Prince Philip died at the age of 99 in April 2021 after being married to the Queen for 73 years.
Page Six exclusively reported that Harry and Markle would not be making it to the London-based service, with a spokesperson for the Sussexes telling us earlier this month that Harry “hopes to visit his grandmother as soon as possible.”
Markle and Harry have been embroiled in a legal fight with the Home Office about the Duke of Sussex’s protection in his homeland.
They have been in the United States since March 2020, when they relocated to California.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew was anticipated to attend the service after his sex abuse lawsuit was resolved earlier this month. His first public appearance since the case was closed was during the service.
The Queen also made her first public appearance since recovering from COVID-19 at the monument.
