Prince Harry marks 38th birthday one week after Queen Elizabeth II’s death
Prince Harry quietly marked his 38th birthday as thousands of mourners filed past ceremonial guards and landmarks in a miles-long line still growing in London, where Queen Elizabeth II will be buried alongside her husband, Prince Philip, following her funeral in Westminster Abbey next week.
The line for those waiting to pay their respects stretched for nearly 4 miles along the River Thames on Thursday, exactly one week after Britain’s longest reigning monarch died at the age of 96. Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin will lie in state in Westminster Hall for four days before her funeral on Monday.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, were already in the U.K. when the Queen’s health started to take a turn for the worst last week. They’d been staying at their U.K. home, Frogmore Cottage, which is on the estate of Windsor Castle, while they participated in a series of events hosted by charities across Europe.
Despite his best efforts, Harry did not make it to the Queen’s bedside in Balmoral before she died.
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave after a service for the reception of Queen Elizabeth II's coffin at Westminster Hall, in the Palace of Westminster in London on September 14, 2022, where the coffin will Lie in State. (DANNY LAWSON/)
On Saturday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reunited with the newly-dubbed Prince and Princess of Wales, his brother William and his wife Kate Middleton, for a walkabout among the flowers and messages left behind by well-wishers outside Windsor Castle. Since then, the royal brothers have made several public appearances together, including on Wednesday afternoon, when they participated in the coffin’s ceremonial procession from Buckingham Palace, where the Queen lived in London for most of her life, to the Palace of Westminster.
Relations between the siblings soured in January 2020, after Harry and Meghan announced they would be stepping away from their royal duties. The couple briefly moved to Canada and then relocated to Los Angeles, where they currently live with their two children, 3-year-old Archie and 1-year-old Lilibet. They plan to remain in the U.K. until the Queen’s funeral.
On Monday, Prince Harry remembered his grandmother’s “unwavering grace and dignity” in his first statement following her death.
“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, 37, said.
“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 honor my father in his new role as King Charles III.”
With News Wire Services
