As guests arrived for The Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey, royal watchers quickly noticed not every royal was in attendance.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet were conspicuously absent from the service despite their parents, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, arriving with the rest of the monarchy.
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The children, aged three and one, also did not join Harry and Meghan for their tour of England and Germany which has been put on hold due to The Queen’s passing.
However, there was speculation the couple would fly their children to the UK as they remained their during the official period of mourning.
Royal watchers also hoped the children would make an appearance in public, especially for an event as monumental as the Queen’s funeral, but they have been disappointed.
Archie and ‘Lili,’ as her parents call her, were granted the titles of Prince and Princess following King Charles’ ascension to the throne. Harry and Meghan, who stepped back as senior royals in 2020, were not granted any new titles.
It’s understood The Queen wished to have a close relationship with her great-grandchildren, especially her namesake Lilibet.
Most of the royals first met Lilibet back in June when the Sussex’s travelled to the UK for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. A cherished moment Harry mentioned in his personal tribute to his late grandmother.
“Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings — from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren,” Harry wrote.
“I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over. And as it comes to first meetings, we now honour my father in his new role as King Charles III.”
The Queen had made repeated attempts to get Archie and Lilibet back to England before her passing. She was very aware of her declining health, but also she worried for the children’s safety in the US.
“Her Majesty is stunned to learn that they insist on continuing to live in America when their security is quite clearly under threat – she wants them to think of how this might be affecting the children,” a source told New Idea last month.
While the new Prince and Princess did not attend the funeral, their cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were in attendance.
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