Coincidentally, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle—who, as you likely well know, now reside in Montecito, California—just so happened to be in Europe undertaking a number of engagements when Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth passed away, rather quickly and unexpectedly, at 96 years old last September 8. Once again, Harry and Meghan will be on Harry’s home continent for work right around that time, as the latest iteration of Harry’s Invictus Games kick off in Germany on September 9. Will the Sussexes swing through the U.K. in the days prior to mark the anniversary of the late Queen’s passing with the rest of the royal family?
Royal expert Gareth Russell doesn’t think so, Us Weekly reports. “We don’t know if the invitation was sent out,” he said. “I would be quite surprised if [Harry and Meghan] would’ve accepted it. We know they had declined the invitation [to visit] when Elizabeth was still alive. So I can’t imagine them saying yes to an invitation now for no other reason than nothing really has changed in the dynamic in this family.”
There still seems to be ill will, Russell added: “Prince Harry allegedly still wants and expects a full apology [and] ‘Recollections may vary’ continues to be the royals’ perspective on things as much as we can tell,” he said. “So, no, I suppose we’ll find out one way or the other someday whether they were invited, but I would be stunned if they had said yes and went to it.”
For the royal family as they prepare to mourn one year without Her late Majesty “the wounds still feel fresh, and it’s been hard for them to find a way for a celebration that will match the gravitas the Queen exuded,” a source said. “On September 8 there will be some acknowledgement or event, [but] the details are still being ironed out.” The source added that King Charles will likely “reflect in solitude” alongside Queen Camilla.
“I don’t think we’ll see a great deal of interaction between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family for quite some time,” Russell said. “I can’t think of a really big royal event that’s coming up for the next couple of years. There’s obviously no Coronation, no wedding—as far as we know—[and] no christenings. Even those big events were not enough to completely reunite the family. We didn’t see all of the Sussexes at the Coronation. The next time we see all of them together could be when there is a big attempt at a successful bridge building or, really unfortunately, the next time we could see them all together is another funeral.”
Former royal butler Grant Harrold—who worked for King Charles and Queen Camilla from 2004 to 2011 when they were still the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall—told The Independent that, of the first anniversary, “The public will want it to be noted,” he said. “Lots of people will be reflecting and remembering, and that’s what the royal family will do.”
Harrold said that tributes from the royal family will likely mostly be on social media. “It will not surprise me at all if we see any videos and posts—that’s how it will be marked because that’s the way things are done now,” he said, predicting the royal family could release some unseen images involving the Queen to remember her.
“For her [Queen Elizabeth] father’s [death] anniversary, the Queen would always mark it by being at Sandringham [where King George VI died unexpectedly in 1952] on the day and would actually go to church,” Harrold said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if members of the royal family decide to go to church.” He added “As far as whether something is done in terms of a tribute, I don’t think anything public will be done. It’s more than likely going to be behind closed doors. I think it’s going to be a day for the family to be a family, to reflect and remember. The King won’t be making any speeches on the day. They are a family that are private when it comes to these things. However, keep an eye out on their social media channels, as this is likely to be where any tributes or memories are shared.”
Following September 8, the King and Queen are reportedly set to finally go on their postponed state visit to France; originally scheduled for March, they were forced to postpone it due to widespread protests across the country. Later in the fall, they are reportedly headed to Kenya, marking the King’s first major trip to a Commonwealth country since taking the throne last year.
