During Meghan Markle’s debut at Trooping the Colour in 2018 she tried to make a lighthearted joke which didn’t go down well with Princess Kate, according to Prince Harry. The event which celebrates the monarch’s official birthday, took place just weeks after Harry and Meghan tied the knot at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
In Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, he claimed Meghan had tried to crack a joke with Princess Kate, but it did not get the reaction the Duchess was likely expecting and, instead, it led to a brutal “yawning silence”. Princess Kate asked newlywed Meghan what she thought of her first Trooping the Colour, to which Meghan simply replied: “Colourful.”
Although Meghan’s answer was short and to the point, it did not get a positive reaction, as Harry wrote in his bombshell memoir. Harry explained: “A yawning silence threatened to swallow us all whole”.
Large crowds turned out for the parade in Horse Guards Parade for Queen Elizabeth II’s official birthday. Meghan experienced the pomp and pageantry of the event for the first time when she arrived on Horse Guards Parade with Harry in a carriage, along with the late Queen’s cousin, the Duke of Kent.
After stepping down as senior working royals in 2020, it is not expected Prince Harry and Meghan will be making an appearance at Trooping the Colour this year to celebrate Harry’s father, King Charles’s third official birthday celebration.
This year, King Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, will be at the centre of the Buckingham Palace balcony at Trooping the Colour, waving to crowds lining The Mall. They will be accompanied by fellow senior royals, including the King’s son Prince William, 42, and his wife Princess Kate, 43, likely along with their three children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, six.
The King’s brother, Prince Edward, 61, is also expected to appear on the balcony along with his wife, Duchess Sophie, 60. Princess Anne, 74, will also stand proudly with her brother on the balcony, accompanied by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
Lesser-known senior royals, including the King’s first cousin once removed Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester and his wife Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, are also expected to get a spot on the balcony for the flypast. Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, is also expected to make an appearance.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussex is set to give a speech at a glitzy Los Angeles bash, which is scheduled to take place on June 14.
The former working royal will be recognised at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County’s Night of Wonder gala. Her speech is set to take place after being celebrated for her work to advance community wellbeing and expand opportunity, especially for underserved communities.
Lori Bettison-Varga, the President and Director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, said: “We are proud to honour Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, a native Angeleno, whose work to advance community wellbeing and expand opportunity aligns with our equity-focused approach.”