Inside Royals' Plans to Mark Queen's Death Anniversary: Will Harry Be There?
King Charles III, Prince William and Princess Kate are figuring out how to honor the late Queen Elizabeth II on the first anniversary of her death later this year.
“William, Kate and Charles are all still planning how they will commemorate the passing of the queen, the wounds still feel fresh and it’s been hard for them to find a way for a celebration that will match the gravitas the queen exuded,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “On September 8th there will be some acknowledgment or event, [but] the details are still being ironed out.”
While the royal trio is still finalizing their memorial plans, the insider notes that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, will “likely not be in attendance” should there be an official event.
“Charles will follow in his mother’s tradition and take the day with [Queen] Camilla to reflect in solitude,” the source adds.
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Buckingham Palace announced in September 2022 that the late queen, who ruled on the British throne for 70 years, had died at the age of 96. After Elizabeth’s casket lay in state in Scotland, then England, the royals came together for her state funeral later that month. The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 41, attended with their oldest two children: Prince George, 10, and Princess Charlotte, 8. (They also share son Prince Louis, 5, who did not attend the service.) Charles, 74, was joined at the memorial by Camilla, 75. Charles had ascended the throne immediately following his mother’s passing.
Elizabeth’s funeral also served as a reunion with Charles’ second son, Harry, 38, and Meghan, 42. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had been at odds with William, Kate and Charles following their 2020 decision to step down from their duties as senior royals. The queen’s funeral marked their second time seeing one another since Harry, 38, and Meghan, 42, relocated to California. (The first was at Elizabeth’s husband Prince Philip’s own funeral in April 2021, of which Harry attended solo as Meghan was pregnant with daughter Princess Lilibet.)
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“Just recently, my brother and I were walking the same route [at Elizabeth’s funeral]. And we sort of joked to each other and said, ‘At least we know the way,’” Harry recalled during his January interview with British broadcast station ITV, noting it felt “very similar” to the 1997 funeral for their mother, Princess Diana. “The only difference was the levels of emotion. Because our grandmother had finished life. There was more, I think, of a celebration and respect and recognition to what she had accomplished. Whereas our mother was taken away far too young.” (The late People’s Princess, who shared William and Harry with Charles, died in August 1997 at the age of 36 following a fatal car crash.)
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Shortly after the queen’s death, Harry and Meghan opened up about their royal drama with their self-titled Netflix docuseries and the duke’s Spare memoir. The tome, which was published in January, included several bombshell claims about William, Kate, Charles and Camilla.
“The Palace isn’t publicly commenting about Spare, but relationships between the royals and Harry have been torn to shreds,” a second source previously told Us in January, in regard to Harry’s numerous allegations, which included a physical fight with William and the royals’ planting news stories about Meghan.
William, Kate and Charles have seemingly put the drama behind them as they continue carrying out their official royal duties.
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“Both William and Kate have much more packed schedules since the queen’s passing, they have taken on a lot more initiatives and responsibilities,” the first source says. “They are gearing up for a few new projects in September, most of which are charity based.”
One of William’s upcoming outings this fall is the Earthshot Prize Summit, in which he is set to travel across the pond to New York City for the ceremony.
