Have you ever noticed how Meghan Markle has never joined the Royal Family for their annual Easter celebration? It’s an event that has always featured Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their children, but Meghan has never joined them for the celebration – while Prince Harry hasn’t attended since 2019.
Every year, the Royal Family gets together in celebration of numerous holidays, including Easter. During the Queen’s reign, it would start with Maundy Thursday – where she travels to a cathedral and presents special coins (Maundy Money) – and continues with a family reunion at Windsor Castle on Sunday.
Meghan Markle attended the Royal Family’s Christmas celebration in 2017, while she was engaged to Prince Harry, but she has never attended the annual Easter Sunday celebration. The truth is there are various reasons why as there always seemed to be something getting in the way of her attendance.
The 2017 celebration would’ve been a month or two prior to Meghan Markle dating Prince Harry – which explains her absence that year. The following year, the couple were just weeks away from tying the knot – in the same venue as the Easter celebration – but chose to enjoy Easter in private, out of the public eye.
In 2019, Meghan was pregnant with the couple’s first child – Prince Archie – and was just a few weeks away from his arrival. While Prince Harry attended the celebration that year since the couple were living just a stone’s throw away from the chapel, he did so solo as Markle stayed home due to her pregnancy.
2020 was a momentous year for the couple as they decided to ‘step back as ‘senior’ members’ of the Royal Family – making the announcement on Instagram. Even if they wanted to attend the Easter celebration in 2020 and 2021, they couldn’t because it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, the Easter event returned – though Queen Elizabeth II didn’t attend due to her declining health. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle weren’t there either, but were busy with the return of the Invictus Games – a sporting event founded by Harry. The event ran from April 16 to April 22 – Easter was on April 17.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Won’t Be There in 2023
With the continued rift between the couple and the Royal Family showing no end in sight, there’s a good chance we don’t see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at this year’s Easter celebration – despite King Charles continuing his late mother’s long-standing traditions, including the Maundy Thursday event.
In fact, the couple have yet to confirm their attendance or absence from King Charles’ coronation on May 6 – which will take place at Westminster Abbey. While the couple have received an official invitation, they have yet to announce their plans – despite it being a milestone day for the family and the UK as a whole.
The rift was spurred by the couple relieving themselves of royal duties in 2020, but has only grown worse over the past few years due to an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, a mini docuseries that premiered in December 2022, and a memoir by Prince Harry that was published on January 10 earlier this year.
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More recently, the couple were asked to evict their royal home at Frogmore Cottage – they haven’t lived there since their move to California, but they used it whenever visiting the country. We’ll have to wait and see if they end up going to the coronation – they only have one more month to reveal their decision.
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