Royal Family News
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were among the members of the Royal Family who attended a service at Westminster Hall to honour Queen Elizabeth.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean of Westminster for a short service that lasted about twenty minutes.
After the service, the couple walked hand in hand behind Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Before the service, William and Harry walked together behind their grandmother's casket in a procession through London.
Meghan made her way in a car with Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Prince Edward's wife.
Meanwhile, Kate rode with Queen Camilla, King Charles' wife.
With the Queen's death, they are now the two highest-ranking women in the Royal Family as Queen Consort and Princess of Wales.
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During the procession, William and Harry walked side by side, with Harry between his brother and their cousin, Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips.
At the funeral procession for their grandfather Prince Philip last April, Peter walked between the brothers.
The walking procession also included the Queen's four children, King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, Anne's husband Sir Tim Lawrence, the Queen's cousin Prince Richard the Duke of Gloucester, and the Queen's nephew David Armstrong-Jones the Earl of Snowdon.
On Tuesday evening, Meghan and Harry joined members of the Royal Family to receive the late monarch's coffin as it arrived at Buckingham Palace.
Days earlier, they also reunited with William and Kate at Windsor Castle, where they stepped out together to greet well-wishers wanting to pay their respects to the late monarch.
According to Kensington Palace, William invited Harry and Meghan to join him and Kate at the Windsor Gates, while another source said security didn't expect both couples to be there for the walkabout.
A Palace insider echoed, “It's such an extraordinary historical moment and also a deeply personal one for the family that you'd hope and think that all members of the family would unite and support, the King, especially.
And perhaps some of those wounds can be healed in the process.”
Releasing a heartfelt statement following his grandmother's death at the age of 96 on September 8, Harry mourned the monarch and voiced support for the accession of his father.
“Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings, from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my commander-in-chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren,” he wrote in part.
Meghan Markle is said to be in a daunting environment while in the UK as she mingles with the royal family ahead of the Queen's funeral despite lashing out at them repeatedly in the last few years.
Talking about Meghan choosing to stay back in the UK following the monarch's death and then also stepping out with Prince William and Kate Middleton, who she allegedly has a rift with, royal expert Sylvia Jeffreys praised the Duchess of Sussex.
Speaking on Today Extra, the Australian morning show host said, “I can't help but think that would have been a really threatening environment for Harry and Meghan, or at least daunting.”
She then added, “I am starting to feel sick about the negativity around Harry and Meghan this time.”
Jeffreys also referenced the criticism being levelled against Prince Harry and Meghan over holding hands in public as they mourn the late monarch.
“She said, History is repeating in so many ways with Harry, whose grief as a child was owned by others.
Once again it is being owned again, and he is being criticized for grieving in a way that others aren't happy about.
It will be very interesting to see how history looks back on all of this, and the narrative around it, back on all of us.”
Despite the challenges, Meghan and Harry will attend the late monarch's funeral on Monday.
The couple has been making headlines for their decision to step back from their roles as senior members of the Royal Family and move to the US.
However, they have remained present during this difficult time for the family, showing their support and unity.
The funeral of Queen Elizabeth marks the end of an era for the Royal Family, but it also represents a new beginning.
As King Charles III takes the throne, the family will continue to evolve and adapt to the changing times.
The events of the past few days have shown that despite their differences, the family can come together in times of grief and support each other.