Here's why Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and their children didn't join the royal family on the palace balcony
- Megan Markle and Prince Harry attended Trooping the Colour with their children on Thursday.
- The family didn't appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the Queen's birthday celebration.
Trooping the Colour is the annual celebration to mark Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday.
The Queen's actual birthday is on April 21, but — because British weather can be unpredictable — she also has an official birthday that takes place in June, when the public can participate in the monarch's festivities.
The parade typically involves the extended royal family making an appearance alongside the monarch on the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, along with Prince Andrew, were noticeably absent from the balcony this year as non-working royals were excluded from any formal proceedings, as Insider previously reported.
On May 6, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Insider in a statement: "After careful consideration, The Queen has decided this year's traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd June will be limited to Her Majesty and those Members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of The Queen."
The Times of London reported that the Sussexes were located in a VIP section to watch Trooping the Colour and a royal source said the couple will attend "at least" one other public engagement during the public holiday, as well as the Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral on Friday.
Working royals in attendance on the balcony included Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra.
Also in attendance on the balcony were the Cambridge children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis — and the Wessex children — Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn. Also in view was Princess Anne's husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, who the Queen was happy to receive "as a frequent attendee and support to the Princess Royal on official engagements," a royal source told Town and Country.
Thursday's parade of royal officers and horses, overseen by Major General Christopher John Ghika, marked the start of the four-day Platinum Jubilee festivities celebrating the Queen's 70-year reign.
Though they weren't seen during the event, it marked the first time Markle and Harry have attended a royal event as a family with their children Archie, 3, and Lilibet, who is due to turn 1 year old on Saturday. A spokesperson for the Sussexes told Insider that the Queen will meet Lili, who is named after the monarch, for the first time, and see Archie for the first time since 2020.
Markle and Harry have attended two Trooping the Colour parades in the past, with their first appearance taking place shortly after they married in 2018, and their second appearance in 2019, Insider's Mikhaila Friel previously reported.
Town and Country further reported that there could be a final balcony appearance after the pageant on Sunday that may feature additional family members such as the Sussexes.