The Queen Invited Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to Church, Sending A Message of Solidarity
As Meghan Markle and Prince Harry wrap up their final royal engagements before heading back to their new lives in Canada, they spent some quality time with Queen Elizabeth II at church on Sunday morning, March 8.
The Queen invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to join her for church service in Windsor, marking what is believed to be the first time Markle will have seen the monarch since the couple announced they were stepping down from their roles as senior members of the royal family. (Prince Harry has sat down with his grandmother and other members of the Royal family several times since the announcement, but Markle remained in Canada with the couple’s son Archie.)
“It was a really sweet gesture that the Queen asked them to church,” a source told People. “It’s telling in the sense that these two are still her family. And as a family, they all love each other.”
In photos obtained by the outlet, Prince Harry was seen driving his wife to the Royal Chapel of All Saints as Markle smiled and waved at fans.
This is only the third time we’ve seen Markle since the pair announced they were stepping down from their royal duties. This week, the couple made a joint appearance at the annual Endeavour Fund Awards in London before attending the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall in London in matching red ensembles.
The reunion follows the Queen’s emotional statement from earlier this year, emphasizing that “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved members” of her family.
“I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life,” she said in the statement. “I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family. It is my whole family’s hope that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life.”
The Sussexes are also set to attend the Commonwealth Day service on Monday, March 9, where they will reunite with Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton in public for the first time since this all began in January.