Prince Harry and Meghan Markle opened up about their final appearance as working royals, which took place two months after they announced their decision to step back from their official roles.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex carried out their last royal duty five years ago at the Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration.
In January 2020, they publicly declared they were stepping down as senior members of the royal family. Their final official engagement followed shortly after, as they joined Queen Elizabeth II, then-Prince Charles, Prince William, Kate Middleton, and other royals at the Westminster Abbey service.
The couple later shared what really happened behind the scenes in their 2022 Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan.
Since then, Meghan has launched another Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, where she teams up with celebrity guests to offer cooking tips and entertaining advice.
Their 2022 docu-series offered a revealing glimpse into royal life, surprising many with its candid look at the inner workings of the monarchy.
Recalling their last engagement, Meghan said: “The first time that we saw the other members of the family was in public at Westminster Abbey.”
Harry explained: “We were nervous seeing the family because all the TV cameras and everybody watching at home and everybody watching in the audience.
“It’s like living through a soap opera where everybody else views you as entertainment.”
During the church service, Harry and Meghan were seated behind William and Kate. Meghan smiled, waved, and greeted them as they took their seats in the front row. But, according to Harry, the atmosphere told a different story.
Harry added: “I felt really distant from the rest of my family, which was interesting because so much of how they operate is about what it looks like, rather than what it feels like.
“And it looked cold. But it also felt cold.”
Following their decision to step back from royal duties, Queen Elizabeth issued a rare personal statement regarding Harry and Meghan’s departure.
She said: “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family.
“Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
