Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their last appearance as high-ranking members of British royalty at Westminster Abbey on Monday, accompanying Queen Elizabeth II and other members of her family in the annual Commonwealth service.
The televised event marked the last time the couple worked with the entire Windsor clan before leaving for North America for self-imposed exile. There were no handshakes in pompous observance, apparently due to the new coronavirus.
The service ended a two-month drama that began when Harry and Meghan announced their plans to give up their roles as an integral part of the royal family and enter a world where they will have to earn a living on their own. It is unexplored territory for the House of Windsor, whose only guide to potential drawbacks has been the tangled abdication of Edward VIII in 1936.
"(The Windsor) have lost a great attraction for the future," said Pauline Maclaran, co-author of Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture.
The Commonwealth service is an important event on the royal calendar, mainly because the 93-year-old queen has supported the organization for most of her life. She became head of the network of 54 countries in 1952, when she was just 26 years old.
Isabel has always seen supporting good relations among its members as her own political project, said Philip Murphy, director of the Institute for Commonwealth Studies at the University of London's Faculty of Advanced Studies.
"It is not just what many people would call imperial nostalgia, a longing for the good old days of the Raj," said Murphy. "The queen has always embraced an evolving Commonwealth and supported the idea of the United Kingdom as a multiracial country because it is part of a multiracial Commonwealth. "
Harry and Meghan were escorted to their seats before the Queen's arrival instead of waiting for her and walking with her through the church as they did last year. In a change of order, Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, also did not participate in the traditional procession of the queen, making the absence of the outgoing members less striking.
The queen gave Harry and Meghan the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their wedding day. Starting in late March, the Sussex will no longer use their royal titles as they seek their financial freedom in North America.
The couple is expected to at least partially support themselves by giving talks and lectures, something that can yield up to $ 400,000 per event to the most sought-after speakers like former US President Barack Obama. They already gave at least one talk last month in Florida, at a JPMorgan conference, but it is unknown if or how much they were paid.
Among other things, they will have to pay for their safety, as the Canadian government said it will not cover this expense for the couple once they retire from their real duties.
For Harry this concert was very special, as he attended it in his role as Captain General of the Royal Marines, a position that he will resign at the end of the month.
This Sunday some videos of the interior of the premises where the Sussexes enjoyed the concert have begun to leak on social networks.
In the images you can see a prince Harry visibly excited and nervous at the ovation he receives from the public when he prepares to take his seat. All present, aware of the importance for the son of Charles of England to attend this concert as captain general, and knowing that from March 31 he will have to stop using his honorary military titles that he tried to keep during the negotiation from the Megxit, they wanted to show their love.
Harry and Meghan received vigorous and long applause. Harry greeted with contained emotion. At one point, Meghan Markle, aware of the overwhelming feeling that pervades her husband, seeks his hand. In one of the videos that have circulated on social networks, the complicity of the couple that is portrayed with each gesture can be clearly seen.
Her hands are held tightly, then they interlock their fingers and Meghan caresses her husband's hand with her thumb, delighting all the fans who defend and believe in this relationship and this love that has led them to wish for a life far away of the royal family.
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