Harry & Meghan Failed to 'Mend Fences' with Royals Yet Lilibet 'Added Light' to Queen's Weekend, Expert Claims

When Harry and his family traveled down to the UK for Queen Elizabeth's jubilee, he had many things on his mind; he wanted his daughter to meet the Queen, and he also wished to close the rift between himself and other royals. Unfortunately, he was only able to accomplish one of those things before they returned, and it left him angry.

Harry and Meghan ruffled many feathers when they stepped back as working royals in March 2020. Lots of bonds were severed, and a feud began between him and his brother Prince William; however, two years later, Harry and his spouse seemed to want those fences mended.

As the days of Queen Elizabeth's jubilee drew closer, speculations rose about whether Harry and his wife would be available for the event; however, US Weekly confirmed in early May that the pair had plans to travel down for the ceremony with their kids.

Harry and William had reportedly started communicating again in the days leading up to their arrival, so many hoped things were on the mend. When they arrived, Harry and Meghan were urged to keep a low profile, and they were also barred from appearing with other senior royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the Royal Air Force flypast.

Harry and Meghan were pictured cheering the Queen on, but they watched the flypast from the Major General's office. Their attendance at the Trooping the Colour parade is the first time the couple has attended a royal event in the UK since they left in 2020, but even that did nothing to reduce the tensions between Harry and the other royals.

In fact, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told US Weekly that even after everything, "the rift very definitely hasn't been healed."

THEY WANTED TO MEND FENCES WITH THEIR ATTENDANCE

There are a couple of reasons why Harry and Meghan chose to travel down to the UK for the Queen's jubilee even though they knew there would be underlying tensions. One of those reasons had to do with sealing the rift that had opened up between Harry and the other royals; however, things did not go according to the plan.

Levin believes that he should have chosen a “quieter time” to make peace with his brother.

Not only were Harry and Meghan sidelined during the flypast, but they were also hardly seen in public for the duration of their stay. They attended only one event besides the parade, which was the Queen's thanksgiving service on June 3, and they were not allowed to sit beside other royals like William, his wife Kate, Charles, and Camilla.

A source later revealed that only senior royals were seated in the front row while other royal family members occupied the second row. The reason for this was simple; they did not want unnecessary attention on the brothers and their wives.

Before arriving in the UK, Harry and Meghan had harbored hopes of reconciliation between themselves and other royals. According to a royal expert, "they went there hoping to mend fences and ran into a brick wall."

According to The Sun, Harry did not have the opportunity to interact with his sibling or father during the Thanksgiving service. At some point during the service, Meghan was reportedly seen comforting him with her words.

After the event, the pair turned down an opportunity to have snacks and drinks with other royals at The Guildhall, choosing instead to be driven back to Frogmore cottage, where they were holed up.

LILIBET LIGHTENED UP THE QUEEN'S DAY

The Queen's jubilee is an event organized to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 70 years as a reigning monarch; however, the ancient ruler had to bow out of some of the mini-events, including the Thanksgiving service.

Of course, she was unhappy about canceling, but her mobility issues left her no choice. One that got to her was the party she had to miss at the Palace; however, fewer events to attend meant that there was adequate time to spend with her great-granddaughter.

Her interaction with little Lilibet considerably lightened her mood and added some light to an otherwise dark day. An insider said that the Queen found Lilibet adorable and even prepared gifts for her and her brother.

Despite leaving the royal household, Harry and his wife still have a lot of respect for the Queen. It is one of the reasons why they chose to honor her by naming their daughter Lilibet after her nickname and why they sought the monarch's permission to use the said name.

The Queen first met Lilibet on Thursday ahead of her first birthday on Saturday, June 4. It was the first time the monarch set eyes on her namesake in person, but she refused to allow pictures to be taken. Lilibet was born in June 2021 in California, and her name also honors Harry's mother, the late Princess Diana.

THEIR PLANS FOR RECONCILIATION ULTIMATELY FAILED

Harry and his wife may have had good intentions when they traveled down to the UK for the jubilee celebration; however, as earlier stated, the pair were not given a chance to mingle with members of the senior royals.

Speaking about it, royal expert Christopher Andersen said that he was surprised Harry and Meghan were not allowed to join the rest of the working royals on the balcony. He said he believed it would have been an excellent opportunity for them to show that all was well within the family.

Given how obvious the underlying tensions were, it did not surprise many when Harry and Meghan left the country an hour before the final event of the platinum jubilee started.

The Royals were scheduled to make their last appearance at the jubilee pageant, a celebration of Britain and its quirks over the Queen's decades-long reign, but The Sussexes were already on their way home before it started, and there was no fanfare as they left.

Royal biographer Angela Levin claims that Harry is "absolutely furious" over how he was treated during the jubilee, and he even feels he deserves an apology from the royal family. Levin said:

“He would have been very, very upset that he was largely ignored.”

Harry did not meet privately with his brother William during his time in the UK. Still, Levin believes that he should have chosen a "quieter time" to make peace with his brother because they hardly had time to spend together amid all the events at the jubilee.