A clip from the event showed that a small cheer initially greeted the exiled royal couple’s exit from St Paul’s Cathedral but it was quickly drowned out by a chorus of shouted boos.
Trending News: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle witnessed a round of loud boos from the crowd as they left their first public appearance in the UK since stepping back from royal duties two years ago. Harry and Meghan joined other members of Britain’s royal family on Friday for a church service honoring Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne.
A clip from the event showed that a small cheer initially greeted the exiled royal couple’s exit from St Paul’s Cathedral but it was quickly drowned out by a chorus of shouted boos.
Royal watchers had all their focus on Harry and Meghan, who held hands as they walked down the long central aisle accompanied only by a military officer in a scarlet dress tunic.
Other guests craned their necks to watch the couple take their places in the second row, underscoring their lesser roles as non-working members of the royal family. Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton sat far away from Harry and Meghan inside the cathedral.
The queen skipped the event at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, which came on the second of four days of festivities marking her Platinum Jubilee. The 96-year-old monarch has had difficulty moving around in recent months and experienced “some discomfort” after smiling and waving to throngs of supporters from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Thursday afternoon.
Prince Charles, who represented the queen, and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, had special chairs in the front row on the other side of the central aisle. Prince William and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge were seated next to them.
Harry and Meghan sparked tensions within the royal family when they moved to California and signed lucrative media contracts. The rift deepened after they made allegations of racism and bullying in the royal household. But they flew back to Britain for the jubilee celebrations, bringing their son, Archie, and daughter, Lilibet, who had never met her great grandmother the queen.
The service of thanksgiving took place a day after the celebrations opened with the glittering military parade known as Trooping the Color, an event that has marked the sovereign’s official birthday for some 260 years.
Following the event, tens of thousands of royal supporters cheered wildly as Elizabeth joined other senior royals on the palace balcony and 70 military aircraft roared overhead in salute.
The queen doggedly appeared later in the evening outside her home at Windsor Castle for the final moments of an international beacon lighting ceremony.
(With inputs from Associated Press)