Meghan and Harry went back to the UK for the Platinum Jubilee, but how they made the trip
is making headlines.
Why all the fuss?
And why didn't they join the Queen on the balcony?
Keep watching to find out.
In an interview with "The Today Show" in April 2022, Prince Harry opened up about his visit
with his grandmother in London, on his way to the Invictus Games in the Netherlands.
"Being with her, it was great.
It was just so nice to see her."
Though the two share a close relationship, it was up in the air if Harry and his wife
Meghan Markle would make the trek to the United Kingdom for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
After their shocking interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, all eyes were on the
now-distant royals and whether they would be celebrating the queen's special milestone.
"My father and my brother, they are trapped.
They don't get to leave.
And I have huge compassion for that."
In fact, the couple will be attending the celebrations and are bringing along their
two children Archie and Lilibet as well.
The Queen's Platinum Jubilee consists of a series of events celebrating 70 years of service
from the iconic matriarch.
Some of these events are accessible to the public, like a parade for her birthday and
the first-ever Corgi Grand National, which honors the queen's love for the adorable breed.
But before Meghan and Harry could attend any events celebrating the queen, they already
caused a stir.
The reasoning?
Their travel accommodations for their trip across the pond.
According to Page Six, the royal couple chose not to travel from Los Angeles to London on
a private jet.
The outlet reports that the couple chose to fly commercial rather than charter a private
plane, and that they arrived in London with a few staffers and their children.
Their time abroad will be a big deal for the family, as Queen Elizabeth II has never met
her granddaughter Lilibet.
The California-based pair were likely looking to make a statement by opting not to charter
their own private plane.
The celebrity couple were branded hypocrites after using private jets to fly across the
states to attend a "Global Citizen Live" event in New York City in September 2021.
The music festival and climate change awareness event decried the global elite for their extensive
carbon emissions, and urged them to do better.
Royal author Penny Junor told The Sun at the time,
"I do think this is hypocrisy.
I’m sure there were plenty of scheduled flights.
I do not understand why they are behaving as if they are superstars.
His father has been known to take scheduled flights.
His brother takes scheduled flights.
This totally muddies the waters of their climate message."
The couple's friend, Sir Elton John, who performed at Global Citizen Live in Paris, clarified
on Twitter that he provided them with his own private jet.
John also noted,
"To support Prince Harry's commitment to the environment, we ensured their flight was carbon
neutral, by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint."
Moreover, at a subsequent appearance in Amsterdam, the prince confirmed he typically spends,
in his words, "99 percent" of his travel time flying commercial.
Harry reasoned that private jets are simply a safer option sometimes.
Once Meghan and Harry's presence at the queen's Platinum Jubilee was confirmed, fans began
to speculate about just how involved the Sussexes would be in the celebratory weekend.
As the Guardian notes, it was quickly reported that they would not be permitted to join Her
Majesty on the balcony at Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour, her annual birthday
event.
The reason behind this decision was that Meghan and Harry, alongside disgraced son Prince
Andrew, are no longer working royals.
However, the celebrity couple are expected to attend plenty of other events over the
long weekend, including a thanksgiving service at St. Paul's Cathedral.
Per Express, an overwhelming majority of British people supported the queen's decision not
to have them on the balcony with her.
However, Omid Scobie, the couple's biographer and close friend, claimed that they didn't
want to be up there in the first place.
In a column for Yahoo News, Scobie wrote that the Sussexes felt it would be "inappropriate"
since they defected from the royal family, and Harry had reportedly even spoken with
his grandmother about not attending Trooping the Colour long before the press announced
it.
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