Queen Elizabeth news – Prince Harry & Meghan’s no show was like a ‘slap in the face’ for Her Majesty, says Thomas Markle
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MEGHAN & Harry's no-show at Prince Philip's memorial service is a "slap in the face of the Queen", according to the Duchess' estranged father.
The stayed at his £11million Californian mansion with wife Meghan, blaming his absence on a row over police protection — despite visiting the Netherlands next week for the Invictus Games.
Harry was the ONLY senior member of the not to attend the service - while the public expressed their outrage at his “shameful” absence.
Speaking on his Meghan's father has now waded into the row.
He told co-host Karl Larsen: "Attending and giving respect and God's grace to for a lifetime of service was very important to the .
"And for them to not show up was a like a slap in the face to the Queen. It was unforgivable.
"The British people won't forgive them for that, and they shouldn't. I don't know what the reason was, but there's no excuse at all.
"It's a slap in the face for the Queen and the British people."
Read our Royal Family live blog below for the latest updates...
Prince William 'regrets' disgraced Andrew's leading role
It has been claimed that Prince William was concerned about Prince Andrew taking a central role in his father Philip's memorial service.
The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Charles were among the senior Royals "dismayed" by Andrew's decision to put himself "front and centre", a family source told the Daily Mail.
They said: "It would be a great shame if the service was overshadowed by all of this.
"There is a strong sense of regret that this has happened."
The subtle parenting moves Prince William and Kate Middleton use
It was an undeniably emotional occasion on Tuesday for the Royal Family as they celebrated Prince Philip's life with a touching Thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey.
All eyes were on the Cambridge family as they arrived for the ceremony - especially surprise guests Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
According to body language expert Inbaal Honigman, Prince William and Kate Middleton used subtle moves to make sure their two eldest children felt "secure" during the televised event.
As they walked into the Abbey, the expert told it was obvious just how nervous George was feeling.
Noticing how the eight-year-old paused for a split-second at the entrance, she explained: "Immediately at that moment, his dad puts two hands on his shoulders and guides him.
"They walk up hand in hand and throughout the entire shaking of hands, William demonstrates to his child what to do."
Kate was equally as protective of six-year-old Charlotte during the event.
The expert added: "[The Duchess'] hand is very, very rarely off Charlotte's shoulder or back."
Piers Morgan blasts ‘spoilt brat’
PIERS Morgan has once again lashed out at Prince Harry, calling him a 'spoiled brat' for not attending Prince Philip's memorial yesterday.
EX GMB presenter Piers Morgan blasted Harry for his absence from the event in honour of the Duke of Edinburgh, as The Queen put on a determined display yesterday.
Piers tweeted: "Imagine missing your mentor grandfather’s memorial service because you’re such a spoiled brat you’d rather sulk in your Californian mansion than be there to support your grandmother? Shameful."
It comes following the Duke of Sussexes legal row with the Home Office over police protection for his family in the UK.
'Prince Philip service was tinged by one note of regret'
This is a comment piece.
IF Prince Philip was watching down over his moving memorial service at Westminster Abbey yesterday, we have a feeling he would largely have approved.
The mood was solemn rather than sombre, the immediate grief at the Duke of Edinburgh’s passing last April having given way to gratitude for his long life of dedication, his inquiring mind and sense of mischief.
Despite mobility struggles, Her Majesty — weeks from turning 96 — was determined to be at the Abbey. As with Philip, her stoicism never ceases to amaze.
The service was, however, tinged by one note of regret — the absence of Prince Harry, who stayed away in the States after an unseemly strop over being asked to foot his own security bill.
We think it’s a decision Harry will come to regret in time, if not already.
After all, many other royals managed to fly in from abroad for the service without fuss, so why not him?
Read the article in full here.
'Prince Philip was always there for Harry'
Prince Harry did not attend Prince Philip's memorial service yesterday after using a 'lame' excuse and has now 'burnt his boats' with the royal family.
Royal photographer, Arthur Edwards, said: "Royals young and old came from far and wide to Westminster Abbey yesterday to pay tribute to Prince Philip – except one.
"Prince Harry’s excuse for avoiding the memorial service for his own grandfather because of “security fears” is, quite frankly, lame.
"Harry couldn’t be bothered to take a few days off from Netflix, or feeding his chickens in the US, to honour the grandfather who always supported him.
"Whether walking with the 12-year-old Prince behind his mother’s coffin, or giving support while Harry was on active service in Afghanistan, Philip was always there for him.
"Sadly, he chose to stay away in his big house. You lost out, Harry, on a great occasion when the Who’s Who of Europe and beyond turned up to do honour to the man who for many years loyally served the Queen.
"As far as I’m concerned, after yesterday’s no-show Harry has burnt his boats."
Online searches for Kate's dress explode after appearance at memorial
Analysis of Google search data reveals that online searches for ‘polka dot dress’ exploded 335% in the UK on the 29th of March - just hours after Kate Middleton joined Prince William at Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip’s memorial service yesterday.
A spokesperson for commented on the findings:
“Kate’s timeless outfit choices never fail to capture the public’s attention, and this occasion is definitely no exception. These findings demonstrate the Duchess’ enduring ability to inspire style choices up and down the nation with a single appearance.
Kate’s appearance is a perfect example of her admirable ability to discreetly and tastefully use her timeless style to compliment the events she attends, yet not divert too much attention away from the main focus of the occasion.”
Royal news you may have missed
- Princess Beatrice appeared to well up at the emotional service
- The Queen paid tribute to Prince Philip in a thanksgiving service honouring his life
- A body language expert said Prince Andrew remains the Queen's favourite child
- The Queen left a personal tribute to Prince Philip in the flowers at his service
- The Monarch, Princess Anne and Camilla all gave a subtle nod to the Duke of Edinburgh with their outfits
Prince William ‘planning huge shake-up of Royal staff’
PRINCE William plans a huge shake-up of royal staff and outdated ideas as he proves he is not a pampered prince.
The Duke and wife Kate will stamp the “Cambridge Way” over future events amid negative publicity surrounding their Caribbean tour which ended at the weekend.
Proving he has his own methods, William plans to have around 70 fewer aides when he succeeds Charles as Prince of Wales.
He will instead nearly halve the estimated 137 staff his dad relies on to create a more cost-effective and less formal team.
Wills and Kate will also employ a small staff working on “comfortable and credible” good causes ? five or six in total.
There will also be shorter, solo trips such as Kate’s recent visit to Copenhagen, Denmark, with her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
A source said: “William and Kate will modernise how they work. It’s a breath of fresh air.
“They were bruised by attacks that their Caribbean trip harked back to the colonial age. In future they will rip up the rule-book and do things ‘The Cambridge Way’. They’re trying to work out what that will look like.
“It is not a criticism of how it was done in the past. But times are changing.”
In pictures: Charles & Camilla watch VR demonstration at Meta offices
Chalres and Camilla officially opened the new Meta offices in north London today.
The Duke and the Duchess of Cornwall (right) are pictured below watching a virtual reality demonstration.
Charles and Camilla were enjoying an hour-long tour of some of the technological innovations which have been built by Meta when she donned a pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses - which can let you take photos, video, listen to music or take phone calls.
She stared straight at her husband, smiled and said: "I can hear what you are saying."
NINTCHDBPICT000722800417Credit: Getty
Charles and Camilla open Meta's new central London offices
The Duchess of Cornwall kept a hi-tech watch over the Prince of Wales as the royal couple officially opened Meta's new central London offices.
Charles and Camilla were enjoying an hour-long tour of some of the technological innovations which have been built by Meta when she donned a pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses - which can let you take photos, video, listen to music or take phone calls.
She stared straight at her husband, smiled and said: "I can hear what you are saying."
The couple later took part in their first digital plaque unveiling to officially open the tech giant's new King's Cross campus - which has more than 620,000 square feet of office space and almost 5,000 workstations.
The couple were in a reality lab - cheerfully named Spider-Ham after cartoon characters by Meta engineers - where they were given sneak peaks various innovations.
Charles looked at a virtual reality headset which helps users explore and learn about places around the world, including its sites, history and culture.
He was talked through the different ways that WhatsApp chatbots are being used to create a social impact.
He was told of how it can help to provide countries around the world with reliable information.
Joe Wicks 'blown away' as he picks up MBE at Windsor Castle
Fitness guru Joe Wicks said he was "blown away" after collecting an MBE at Windsor Castle, accompanied by his brother and "right-hand man" Nikki.
Wicks, 36, known as the Body Coach for his free livestream workouts, said it was a "surreal moment" to be handed the award by the Princess Royal at a ceremony on Wednesday.
He said the medal belonged equally to him and his brother Nikki Wicks, who helped him build his online fitness empire behind the scenes by communicating with him through an earpiece during workouts.
"Nikki is my brother. He's also my best friend. Every single time I did PE with Joe, he was in my ear. I couldn't have done it without him," the fitness and nutrition specialist said.
"We had mornings where we just weren't in the mood for it but said come on, let's give them the best workout of their lives.
"Together we just managed, just through Nikki's voice in my ear and his energy, it really picked us both up.
"He was kind of like my right-hand man who you couldn't see."
Fans in hysterics over sweet Princess Charlotte moment
AS they walked into Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip’s Thanksgiving service yesterday, Prince George and Princess Charlotte were the very picture of perfectly behaved royal children.
Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s two eldest kids held hands with their parents as they walked to their seats just behind The Queen.
During the service, the pair joined in with the rest of the 1,800 guests singing hymns and were otherwise seen sitting listening quietly to the service.
That is, until Princess Charlotte showed off her cheeky side in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment.
As the memorial was being broadcast, posted footage of the hilarious moment Kate and Wills’ daughter realised her face was on TV.
The five-second clip shows Charlotte looking up at the ceiling, jumping out of her skin and then pulling a funny face.
They captioned the clip: “The look when you see yourself on TV.”
‘Prince Harry and Meghan Markle let the Queen down’
Meghan Markle’s ex pal has accused her and Prince Harry of letting the Queen down by selfishly abandoning her at Prince Philip’s memorial.
Lizzie Cundy insists Harry should have had disgraced Prince Andrew’s role of walking the Queen into Westminster Abbey.
Instead the Duke of Sussex stayed at his £11million Californian mansion with wife Meghan, blaming his absence on a row over police protection — despite visiting the Netherlands in two weeks for the Invictus Games.
The former model has slammed the excuse – and believes public opinion is turning on the couple.
“It was pretty low and incredibly selfish of him and Meghan,” Lizzie told The Sun.
“Prince Harry should have been there. Forget his moaning and his whinging and his swipes about the country, he should put his grandmother first.
“People are getting sick of their excuses and the need for people to feel sorry for them.
“It’s playing the ‘poor me’ card and there’s only so much you can take.
“The excuses are getting worse. They’re getting tedious and no one is interested anymore.”
The sowing of more than 20 million seeds for Platinum Jubilee begins
The sowing of more than 20 million seeds in the Tower of London has begun in honour of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
Cornflowers have been chosen to hark back to the time when the historic fortress's trench was filled with water.
They are due to flourish at the start of June to coincide with national celebrations.
Gardeners began scattering the seeds by hand, and the sowing is expected to last a week.
Queen defied fears
THE Queen defied fears over her health as she walked into Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's memorial service yesterday.
The Queen was driven from Windsor to London with Prince Andrew by her side and sat surrounded by family inside the Abbey, unlike at Prince Philip's scaled-back funeral last April.
The service was attended by guests including senior members of the Royal Family and politicians such as Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
The was remembered in the poignant memorial service as a "man of rare ability and distinction".
The memorial featured elements the Duke planned for his own funeral which were forbidden due torestrictions
The Duke's express wishes for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a part were also finally granted.
was not in attendance, however, with royal author Phil Dampier saying : "It's very sad that Harry and won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it."
Queen's 'gesture to the world'
A body language expert has said that the Queen's smile and small nod to Prince Andrew during Prince Philip's memorial service "should probably been seen as a deliberate intentional gesture to the world".
Body language expert Judi James, in an interview with the Express, said: “She [The Queen] was clearly fully aware that Andrew would be playing the important and very visible role he did, and that he would even be seen after the service adopting the same hands clasped behind the back pose that his father once took as he stood behind his mother, smiling and laughing with her as she spoke to her hosts and some of the speakers.”
She claimed that the Queen's nod was both “deliberate” and “intentional”.
She said: “Nothing the Queen has ever done in public has been without deliberate significance, so the moment when Andrew stood to attention with a small bow after escorting her to her place and she replied with a smile and a small nod of thanks should probably been seen as a deliberate intentional gesture to the world.”
Royal family latest
- A royal commentator has said that The Queen’s decision to travel to London with Prince Andrew was a clear show of support to her second son.
- Today marks 20 years since the death of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
- It has been claimed that Prince William was concerned about Prince Andrew taking a central role in his father Philip’s memorial service.
- Piers Morgan has once again lashed out at Prince Harry, calling him a ‘spoiled brat’ for not attending Prince Philip’s memorial yesterday.
Queen's decision to travel with Andrew a 'show of support' to son
A royal commentator has said that The Queen's decision to travel to London with Prince Andrew was a clear show of support to her second son.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, royal expert Richard Ftizwilliams said: "Well, it was her decision and given the circumstances it was her way to show support to him, there is no doubt about it.
"Obviously, as we know, she has mobility issues, but equally it was great to see her for the first time at an official event since October last year.
"But as far as Andrew is concerned, it was her show of support to him, that's what it was."
Fears that the duke will use appearance as a "springboard"
The Duke of York travelled the 30 miles between Windsor and London in his mother's car yesterday.
He then walked arm-in-arm with the monarch as he guided her through Westminster Abbey yesterday morning before making his way to a front row seat.
It had been previously understood she would be accompanied to her seat by the Dean of Westminster, with Andrew behind.
And there are now fears that the duke will use his appearance as a "springboard" to reappear at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend in June.
Nation mourns
Today marks 20 years since the death of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
Born on August 4 1900, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married The Duke of York in 1923.
In 1936 they became King and Queen Consort, and were crowned in Westminster Abbey at a Coronation.
Fans in hysterics over sweet Princess Charlotte moment
AS they walked into Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's Thanksgiving service yesterday, Prince George and Princess Charlotte were the very picture of perfectly behaved royal children.
Prince William and Kate Middleton's two eldest kids held hands with their parents as they walked to their seats just behind The Queen.
During the service, the pair joined in with the rest of the 1,800 guests singing hymns and were otherwise seen sitting listening quietly to the service.
That is, until Princess Charlotte showed off her cheeky side in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment.
As the memorial was being broadcast, posted footage of the hilarious moment Kate and Wills' daughter realised her face was on TV.
The five-second clip shows Charlotte looking up at the ceiling, jumping out of her skin and then pulling a funny face.
They captioned the clip: "The look when you see yourself on TV."
Prince William 'regrets' disgraced Andrew's leading role
It has been claimed that Prince William was concerned about Prince Andrew taking a central role in his father Philip's memorial service.
The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Charles were among the senior Royals "dismayed" by Andrew's decision to put himself "front and centre", a family source told the Daily Mail.
They said: "It would be a great shame if the service was overshadowed by all of this.
"There is a strong sense of regret that this has happened."
The subtle parenting moves Prince William and Kate Middleton use
It was an undeniably emotional occasion on Tuesday for the Royal Family as they celebrated Prince Philip's life with a touching Thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey.
All eyes were on the Cambridge family as they arrived for the ceremony - especially surprise guests Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
According to body language expert Inbaal Honigman, Prince William and Kate Middleton used subtle moves to make sure their two eldest children felt "secure" during the televised event.
As they walked into the Abbey, the expert told it was obvious just how nervous George was feeling.
Noticing how the eight-year-old paused for a split-second at the entrance, she explained: "Immediately at that moment, his dad puts two hands on his shoulders and guides him.
"They walk up hand in hand and throughout the entire shaking of hands, William demonstrates to his child what to do."
Kate was equally as protective of six-year-old Charlotte during the event.
The expert added: "[The Duchess'] hand is very, very rarely off Charlotte's shoulder or back."
Piers Morgan blasts ‘spoilt brat’
PIERS Morgan has once again lashed out at Prince Harry, calling him a 'spoiled brat' for not attending Prince Philip's memorial yesterday.
EX GMB presenter Piers Morgan blasted Harry for his absence from the event in honour of the Duke of Edinburgh, as The Queen put on a determined display yesterday.
Piers tweeted: "Imagine missing your mentor grandfather’s memorial service because you’re such a spoiled brat you’d rather sulk in your Californian mansion than be there to support your grandmother? Shameful."
It comes following the Duke of Sussexes legal row with the Home Office over police protection for his family in the UK.
'Prince Philip was always there for Harry'
Prince Harry did not attend Prince Philip's memorial service yesterday after using a 'lame' excuse and has now 'burnt his boats' with the royal family.
Royal photographer, Arthur Edwards, said: "Royals young and old came from far and wide to Westminster Abbey yesterday to pay tribute to Prince Philip – except one.
"Prince Harry’s excuse for avoiding the memorial service for his own grandfather because of “security fears” is, quite frankly, lame.
"Harry couldn’t be bothered to take a few days off from Netflix, or feeding his chickens in the US, to honour the grandfather who always supported him.
"Whether walking with the 12-year-old Prince behind his mother’s coffin, or giving support while Harry was on active service in Afghanistan, Philip was always there for him.
"Sadly, he chose to stay away in his big house. You lost out, Harry, on a great occasion when the Who’s Who of Europe and beyond turned up to do honour to the man who for many years loyally served the Queen.
"As far as I’m concerned, after yesterday’s no-show Harry has burnt his boats.";