How Palace aides perfectly organised St Paul’s Jubilee service ‘to avoid Royal clash between Harry and Wills’
PALACE aides worked behind the scenes for months to perfectly choreograph the Jubilee service so Harry and William wouldn’t come face-to-face, it’s reported.
The brothers sat on separate sides of St Paul’s and arrived with their wives at different times. The couples did not make eye contact or acknowledge each other.
The ceremony marked the Sussexes’ first royal engagement with senior members of the family since the famously chilly Commonwealth Service in March 2020.
Harry was reportedly “furious” to be “shunted aside” at that event, which happened shortly before they announced they’d be stepping back from the royal frontline.
During today’s celebrations, the couple’s demotion was made clear in a carefully-arranged seating plan, which had them separated from the Cambridges and Charles and Camilla.
They also took their seats at the cathedral at 11.08am – almost 20 minutes before William and Kate sat down at 11.27am.
Read more on the Jubilee
Despite the separation, Harry in particular appeared to be cheerful today – although body language experts claim he was actually showing signs of anxiety.
After squeezing past his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie, who were already seated, he was spotted laughing and joking with friends and family.
He and Meghan had seats in the second row of the congregation, behind the Earl and Countess of Wessex, who were in the front row with their children.
Kate and William arrived to loud cheers from members of the public waiting outside.
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They were closely followed by Charles and Camilla, who were the last to arrive under royal protocol.
As the service ended, Harry and Meghan left one minute after the senior royals did. The family did not meet on the steps outside, but quickly returned to their cars.
Harry and Meghan left London immediately without attending the royal reception and arrived back at Frogmore before 2.30pm.
The couple were seen smiling and laughing together as they sat in the back of a Range Rover.
William and Harry have a long-standing feud, which is said to have begun after William questioned Harry over his relationship with Meghan.
According to biography Finding Freedom, William said: “Don’t feel you need to rush this.
More on the Queen’s Jubilee weekend…
- The Queen, 96, has ‘finally met Lilibet’ for the first time
- Harry grinned as he held hands with Meghan during his royal return
- Her Majesty didn’t attend the St Paul’s Jubilee service after suffering pain during yesterday’s parade and flypast
- She also won’t attend the Epsom Derby tomorrow
- But Kate Middleton has reassured royal fans that the monarch is “fine”, although found yesterday “tiring”
- And it’s understood she hopes to attend Lilibet’s first birthday party tomorrow
- Adorable Prince Louis jumped up and down with joy as he was wowed by Red Arrows – much to Queen’s delight
- Prince Andrew didn’t attend the St Paul’s service – here’s why
“Take as much as time as you need to get to know this girl.”
The book’s authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand said the phrase “this girl” immediately irritated Harry, who was “p***ed off” that his brother “would ask such a thing”.
The problem quickly worsened when Meghan was accused of bullying Palace staff – an accusation she fiercely denies.
William “threw Harry out” after a blistering row when he learned of the allegations, it’s claimed.
The anger between them was so great, William split his household from Harry’s altogether, royal experts allege.
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After Meghan and Harry moved to California, they embarked on a series of chatshow interviews – and made the now-infamous allegations of royal racism to Oprah.
Following all the drama, a source told the Daily Mail aides had been “acutely aware of the optics” – how things would look to members of the public – during the Jubilee.
They set about making plans to ensure that the Sussexes would only attend events where they’d have minimal interactions with other senior royals in public, it’s claimed.
Asked if the couple would appear at any other events this weekend, either by themselves or with their children, the source said: “I really wouldn’t expect them at everything.”
Their attendance has been “carefully controlled” throughout, from the moment the Queen sent a car to collect them from their private plane.
Mr Scobie, who is friendly with Meghan, told BBC Breakfast that “people close to the couple” said they “wanted to be as low profile as possible during this trip”.
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It’s understood the Queen ordered there to be “no drama”, and as a result, there has not yet been any sign of the couple’s Netflix camera crews.
While relationships with William and Kate still appear to be strained, it otherwise seems to be going well. The Sussexes have introduced baby Lilibet to her great-grandmother, and it’s believed they’ve also spent time with Charles and Camilla.