Meghan Markle, Prince Harry To Attend This Platinum Jubilee Event After Balcony Appearance Exclusion

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will join the royal family for one major event during Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations next week.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex won't be joining the 96-year-old British monarch on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the annual Trooping the Colour on June 2. However, the couple is expected to be at the Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London next Friday, The Telegraph reported.

Traditionally, members of the extended family have attended the Thanksgiving Service at the Jubilees — most recently of 10 and 20 years ago.

Aside from Prince Harry and Markle, other members of the royal family are expected to attend the service, including Prince Andrew, who was also excluded from the balcony appearance. The Queen's great-grandchildren, including Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Mia Tindall, 8, may attend the event as well.

Earlier this month, Prince Harry and Markle announced that they will bring their two children, son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, who will turn 1 on June 4, to the U.K. for the Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, which celebrates the monarch's 70 years on the throne. However, Prince George and Princess Charlotte's cousins are believed to be too young for the outing.

The Queen's cousins Princess Alexandra, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Prince Michael of Kent are also due to attend, along with Her Majesty's niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and the Earl of Snowdon as well as their families. Some of them are also making a balcony appearance with the Queen.

Queen Elizabeth announced in early May that she decided to limit the royals who will join her on the balcony for Trooping the Colour, the monarch's annual public birthday celebration, to those who are still actively working for the monarchy. These include Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Wiliam, Kate Middleton, Prince Edward, Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Princess Anne, to name a few.

"After careful consideration, the Queen has decided that this year's traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd of June will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen," a Buckingham Palace spokesman said in a statement.

This change in tradition means the exclusion of Prince Harry and Markle, who stepped back as senior members of the royal family in 2020, and Prince Andrew, who is no longer a working royal following his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Queen's attendance at the service of thanksgiving is unlikely to be confirmed until the day of the event.

The palace had previously announced that Her Majesty will not attend all of the events for the Platinum Jubilee. However, the Thanksgiving Service is one of the jubilee events she was particularly keen to attend, according to the report.

Palace aides are reportedly already working to ensure Queen Elizabeth's attendance. The British monarch has mobility issues and will be unable to walk up the many steps in the cathedral's main entrance. The staff is planning how to bring the Queen to the service in a comfortable way without being photographed if possible.

The members of the royal family are expected to arrive at 11 a.m. on June 3. Great Paul, the largest church bell, will be rung before the service starts. It will be broadcast live on BBC1.

The four-day Platinum Jubilee festivities will wrap with the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on June 5, featuring a parade down The Mall to the Palace in London.