Prince Harry’s Painful Reality: Seating Arrangement at Jubilee Service Shows Royal Pecking Order

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral was highly anticipated by royal fans, who were eager to witness the public reunion of Prince William and Prince Harry.

However, disappointment may have ensued when it was revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not seated near each other.

Kate and William sat in the front row with Prince Charles and Camilla, while Harry and Meghan were seated beside their cousins Princess Eugenie and Beatrice and their husbands Eduardo Moppelli-Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank.

Before Kate and William took their seats, Royal expert Richard Kaye claimed that Prince Harry would have faced a painful 19 minutes.

In an article for the Mail, he explained that the seating arrangement showed the public reality of Harry's slide down the Royal pecking order, branding Charles, Camilla, William, and Kate the real stars of the show.

As non-working royals, the Sussexes are now very much in the second division.

Although spared the indignity of sharing the coach that brought minor royals who similarly do not do official duties, such as Princess Michael of Kent's son Lord Frederick Windsor, they were only just behind them.

It was a painful 19 minutes before William and Kate arrived to take their seats.

If the reality of his new life had escaped Prince Harry thus far, it must surely have sunk in then.

The brothers have not yet been seen together during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The couple were rarely seen over the weekend, and according to reports, the Sussexes and their two children, Archie, three, and Lilibet, one, had already flown home before the Jubilee pageant began on Sunday afternoon.

The pageant celebrated Britain across the decades of the Queen's 70-year reign, including buses for each decade, dames in jags which featured the likes of Shirley Ballas and Prue Leith being escorted in jaguars down the mall, and a procession of puppet corgis.

It is believed that Meghan and Harry had set off from Frogmore Cottage, where they spent the Jubilee weekend, at 1.30 pm to be driven to Farnborough Airport.

The 10,000-mile trip reportedly cost a staggering £160,000, though it is not known who paid this bill.

An insider told The Sun, “there was no fanfare, they just went.

They didn't stick around for the Platinum Jubilee pageant, which is a celebration of Britain and all of its quirks and eccentricities over the Queen's 70-year reign.”

During the Trooping the Colour service, the couple, who gave up their official royal duties to move stateside and subsequently their right to take part in many official events, were spotted from a window above Horse Guards Parade.

The California-based couple were seen in public for the only time over the weekend to attend the Thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday, which the Queen did not attend.

The atmosphere between the family and the Sussexes appeared frosty during the 50-minute service, with no interaction between Prince Charles and Prince William and Prince Harry.

Following the ceremony, the couple decided to be taken back to Frogmore Cottage instead of having drinks and food with members of the family at the Guildhall.

Their two young children remained behind for the ceremony and were not seen over the weekend.

The seating arrangement at the Jubilee service certainly highlighted Prince Harry's new position within the Royal family.