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The bells rang as Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, arrived.
The queen herself is absent, watching the show on the BBC from her rooms at Windsor Castle.
The palace alerted the public that the monarch began to feel “some discomfort” at Thursday’s Trooping the Colour ceremony by British military regiments and so would not attend. She has been struggling with what the palace calls “mobility issues” in recent months and has missed a number of engagements.
There is a steady transition of responsibility — and soft power — passing now from the queen to her son Charles and grandson William, who are playing more prominent roles during the jubilee.
The Sussexes of California are in Britain with their young children, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, who will celebrate her first birthday on Saturday.
This trip marks the first time that the queen has met Lilibet in person. Harry and Meghan named their daughter after her majesty, using the queen’s childhood nickname.
Harry has made only a few public trips back to the U.K. since settling in California. In April, 2021, he attended the funeral of his grandfather, Prince Philip, although he did not return this spring for Philip’s memorial, which was a much larger affair as covid restrictions had lifted. Last summer, he returned to the U.K. to unveil a statue of his late mother, Princess Diana.
Harry’s lawyers have said that the prince does not feel safe when he is in the U.K. because of the security arrangements that apply to him. He is bringing a claim against the British government after being informed he would no longer be given the “same degree” of personal protective security when visiting Britain. The prince offered to pay for the security himself, but Britain’s Home Office declined.
In a surprise move, the couple announced in January 2020 that they were stepping back as senior royals. The queen rejected their proposal to “half-in, half-out” royals and stripped their royal patronages, making it clear in statements that, while the Sussexes are much-loved members of the royal family, work came first.
The Sussexes decamped to California after a short stint in Canada.
The two sides agreed to a review of the situation after 12-months. But according to royal biographer Robert Hardman, the queen was not expecting them to resume their British life. Writing in his book “Queen of our Times,” Hardman says that the queen knew that the Sussexes were unlikely to return as senior royals.
“Asked by one well-meaning visitor if she expected them to resume royal life, she replied firmly, ‘Of course not. They took the dogs.’”
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