Meghan Markle's 1-word joke that left Kate Middleton silent at her first Trooping the Colour in 2018
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle once had a silence so awkward during the Duchess of Sussex’s first appearance at Trooping the Colour, that it "threatened to swallow us all whole," according to Prince Harry.
Harry wrote in his memoir "Spare" that he and Markle returned from their Mediterranean honeymoon in 2018 "just in time for the official June celebration of Granny’s birthday."
He added that Trooping the Colour was one of their first public appearances as a married couple following their May 19, 2018, wedding.
"Everyone present was in a good mood, upbeat," he wrote. "But then: Kate asked Meg what she thought of her first Trooping the Colour."
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The Duke of Sussex wrote that Markle joked the celebration was "Colourful."
"And a yawning silence threatened to swallow us all whole," he said.
The 41-year-old didn’t elaborate in the book about the moment, only writing that days later Markle went on her first royal trip with Queen Elizabeth II and they "got on famously."
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Later that month, he said the four of them — Harry, Markle, Middleton and Prince William — attempted to clear the air about the tensions between them.
Harry wrote that along with Middleton thinking Markle had wanted her fashion contacts and friction over bridesmaids’ dresses at the Sussexes’ wedding, Middleton and William were also miffed that Markle and Harry hadn’t given them Easter presents.
And Middleton told Markle she owed her an apology for talking about her hormones as "baby brain" while the princess was pregnant.
He said he and Markle also told them they were irritated that William and Middleton had switched seats at their wedding.
"None of this airing of grievances was doing any good," Harry wrote. "We weren’t getting anywhere."
Harry and Markle last took part in Trooping the Colour in 2019 before the couple left England at the beginning of 2020.
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The couple last watched the parade in 2022 during the queen’s platinum jubilee from a side window of Buckingham Palace and didn’t appear on the balcony with the senior royals or take part in the parade.
Saturday’s Trooping the Colour got underway with King Charles III and Queen Camilla, William and Middleton and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis riding in carriages or on horseback in the annual parade.
Harry and Markle, who remained stateside on Saturday, were once again not invited.
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As Trooping the Colour kicked off in London, Harry made a video appearance at an Invictus event in Germany Saturday morning.
The 41-year-old spoke remotely at the opening day of the Invictus Germany Sports Festival in Düsseldorf, Germany, which is related to the wounded service member and veteran sports competition he created in 2014.
Harry told the contestants it was an "honor" to send his message as the contestants gathered for "another Invictus sporting title," according to a story shared on Instagram by the Invictus Games.
"Germany is setting a powerful example of what it means to honor service with dignity and enduring commitment," he added.