Prince Harry 'relieved' to miss Trooping the Colour amid Royal Family estrangement
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are likely to feel "relieved" about not attending King Charles' Trooping the Colour event this weekend, according to a royal expert.
During the celebrations, the entire Royal Family gather on the Buckingham Palace balcony, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex won't be in attendance on Saturday, 15 June.
Since stepping down from their senior roles in 2020, the couple haven't attended the annual event, and their relationship with Harry's family has deteriorated following their explosive Netflix show and Harry's memoir, Spare.
Royal expert and author Tessa Dunlop believes the couple won't be too upset about missing the celebration.
Chatting with the Mirror last year about the first Trooping the Colour of King Charles' reign, she revealed: "Prince Harry is not coming to the King's inaugural Trooping of the Colour, when for the first time since 1986 Britain's monarch will be mounted taking the salute."
She continued: "Whether Harry was invited or not (probably not why would you invite someone who was not going to attend?) is a moot point. Harry is no longer a working royal."
"Trooping the Colour is a job for our working royals. The key word there is 'job'. Saturday will see them dressed up and on parade, doing what they do best, providing the military, which depends on its hierarchical structures, with a symbolic figurehead."
People Magazine has reported that the exclusion of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from the guest list is intentional, and that King Charles III opted against extending an invitation to his youngest son.
This year's Trooping of Colour, which marks the official celebration of the monarch's birthday, will be slightly different than usual following the King and Princess of Wales's cancer diagnoses. Due to his ongoing treatment, it's thought that the King will ride in a carriage as opposed to the traditional horseback ride.
He is still expected to make the traditional balcony appearance, alongside other prominent Royal Family members, for the RAF flypast, reports the Mirror. His level of participation will ultimately hinge on his health status and the guidance provided by his medical team.
It was announced that Princess Catherine would not be taking the salute at the Colonel’s Review on Saturday, 8 June, the traditional rehearsal for Trooping the Colour. However it's yet to be announced if she will be attended the event itself.
Even as she undergoes preventative cancer treatment, the 42 year old Royal is thought to be weighing up joining the Buckingham Palace balcony spectacle post-Trooping the Colour ceremony if she feels up to it.
OK! has contacted Harry and Meghan's reps for comment.
