Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have opened up about their final official engagement as working royals, which took place two months after they announced their decision to step back.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their last appearance in this role five years ago at the Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration.
In January 2020, they publicly declared their intention to step down as senior members of the royal family, and just two months later, they attended their final royal event.
During this outing, they joined Queen Elizabeth, Charles, Prince William, Kate, and other family members. The behind-the-scenes details of this day were later revealed in their 2022 Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan.
Since then, Meghan has launched another Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, where she appears alongside celebrity guests, sharing her insights on cooking and hosting.
In their 2022 docu-series, the couple made headlines by offering a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the royal family.
Reflecting on their final official engagement, Meghan shared, “The first time that we saw the other members of the family was in public at Westminster Abbey.”
Harry added, “We were nervous seeing the family because all the TV cameras and everybody watching at home and everybody watching in the audience.
“It’s like living through a soap opera where everybody else views you as entertainment.”
Harry and Meghan sat behind William and Kate during the church service. As they took their seats in the front row, Meghan smiled, waved, and even greeted them.
However, the reality seemed quite different.
Reflecting on the moment, Harry shared, *”I felt really distant from the rest of my family, which was interesting because so much of how they operate is about what it looks like, rather than what it feels like.
“And it looked cold. But it also felt cold.”*
When Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior royals, Queen Elizabeth issued a rare and heartfelt statement about her grandson and his family.
She expressed, *”My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family.
“Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”*