For the second year in a row, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have not received an invitation to the Trooping the Colour, the annual military parade held later this month to mark King Charles III's official birthday celebration, confirmed People magazine.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be absent from the procession this year, just as they were in 2023 following the King's coronation. Trooping the Colour, an event that has commemorated the reigning monarch's official birthday for more than 260 years, last included Harry and Meghan in 2019, a year after their wedding. They attended the parade in 2022 when they travelled to London for Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebration.
Three months after the Queen's passing, Prince Harry attended his father's coronation in May of last year without the Duchess. However, they missed the Trooping the Colour just a month later. At the 2023 event, Charles rode horseback for his first Trooping the Colour as monarch, accompanied by Prince William, while Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton waved to the crowds from a carriage.
This year, due to her cancer treatment revealed in March, the Princess of Wales, who holds the position of colonel-in-chief of the Irish Guards, will not take the traditional salute at the Colonel's review, a part of the parade. Kinsey Schofield, host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast, told Fox News Digital last week that the mother of three will likely not attend the parade, although she could make an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace afterwards.
Christopher Andersen, author of "The King: The Life of Charles III," stated to Fox News Digital that a balcony appearance would reassure the public. "The Princess of Wales knows better than anyone what message it would send if she were absent, so I think she'll make that gesture if it's at all possible," said Andersen. "Unfortunately, at the moment, it appears that she may not be physically up to the challenge."
King Charles, who is also undergoing cancer treatment, plans to ride in a horse-drawn carriage this year instead of on horseback, according to People.
Last month, Harry returned to London to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, which he founded in 2014. However, it was announced that Charles would not have time to meet with him. While none of the royal family attended a thanksgiving service for the games at St. Paul's Cathedral, Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer and Princess Diana's younger brother, was present.
Harry and Charles last met briefly in February after the King announced his cancer diagnosis. Harry's relationship with the royal family has become increasingly strained since he and Markle stepped down as senior royals in 2020 and eventually moved their family to California.
