Meghan Markle wasn’t present when Prince Philip was laid to rest last Saturday. Her husband Harry was there, and a lot of attention was on him and his so called “peace talks” with his brother William.
St. George’s Chapel was filled with beautiful flowers as the Royal Family said their goodbyes to Philip. And even though Meghan wasn’t there, she was sure to send him a token of her esteem in the form of a note.
But it wasn’t just any note. No, reports claim Meghan made sure that it was very special. It turns out that her final goodbye had a great bit of significant meaning.
Prince Philip passed away earlier this month, aged 99. On Saturday, the Royal Family said their farewells as he was laid to rest.
Prince Philip’s funeral
All of the Queen’s four children and their spouses – the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke of York, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex – attended the funeral, accompanied by their 10 grandchildren, as well as the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton – a future Queen.
Among the Duke’s friends, meanwhile, were Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden, Penny Brabourne, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, and Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse.
At the funeral service, it was clear that the Queen was deep in her grief.
Queen Elizabeth sat alone as she bid a final goodbye to her husband. Philip had actually himself been involved in the plans for the funeral.
Queen Elizabeth sat alone
So, why did she sit alone? Well, reports say that had to do with the COVID-19 pandemic and its regulations within the UK (all guests who aren’t members of the same household are required to sit 2 meters apart) Since the Queen and the late Prince Philip had been in their own bubble in quarantine, she wasn’t allowed to join members of her family who’d been in another bubble.
Prince Philip also apparently had two final wishes for his funeral, which the Queen made sure to fulfill.
The funeral service was led by the Dean of Windsor, who paid tribute to Prince Philip’s “kindness, humor and humanity”, as well as the “many ways in which his long life has been a blessing to us”.
“We have been inspired by his unwavering loyalty to our Queen, by his service to the nation and the Commonwealth, by his courage, fortitude and faith,” the Dean added.
All Royal Family members were seen wearing face coverings throughout the service inside the chapel. Some seemed reserved, but at the same time, many of them let their emotions flow.
Meghan Markle not in attendance
Meghan Markle stayed in the US because she’s “been advised by her physician not to travel”, according to several news outlets. She and Harry are expecting their second child. On top of that, her mother, Dora, also reportedly advised her not to travel.
“Like Harry, Doria is very protective of Meghan and doesn’t want to see her putting her own health at risk. Stress is the last thing Meghan needs right now,” the source said.
But it seems like that might not be the whole truth, at least according to the Daily Mail.
According to an insider with close ties to Meghan, she didn’t travel with her husband to the UK because of the whole situation following the Oprah interview.
“Meghan said her main concern right now is supporting Harry. She said she left it up to him as to whether or not she would attend the funeral,” the source told DailyMail.
Meghan Markle – flowers
Her friend says she’s staying in the US because she doesn’t want to be “the center of attention”.
The funeral for Prince Philip was beautiful, even though there would’ve been hundreds of people attending under normal circumstances.
When he passed away, age 99, Meghan & Harry put out a statement honoring Philip for his life work.
“In loving memory of His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, 1921-2021,” Meghan & Harry wrote through their organization, Archewell. “Thank you for your service…you will be greatly missed.”
For the funeral, even though she wasn’t there, Meghan paid tribute to her grandfather-in-law, and did it in the most beautiful way possible.
Both Harry and Meghan made sure to say goodbye to Philip in a proper manner. They had ordered a special wreath to be placed alongside a handwritten note.
Special meaning for Philip
The wreath was designed by florist Willow Crossley, who according to Harper’s Bazaar, was responsible for the floral arrangements for Harry and Meghan’s wedding in the Frogmore Gardens in 2018. He also did the flower arrangements for their son Archie’s christening at Windsor Castle.
The beautiful wreath had a very special meaning. It included bear’s breeches, which is the national flower of Greece. The bear’s breeches represented Prince Philip’s heritage, as he was born on the Greek island of Korfu.
Not only that, but the wreath included the sea holly flower, which represented Philip’s long-term service in the Royal Marines. Harper’s Bazaar further report that there were plenty of other flowers involved which had a special meaning.
“Campanula for gratitude and everlasting love, rosemary for remembrance, lavender for devotion, and roses in honor of Prince Philip’s birth month,” the news outlet reports.
Meghan – who is said to have had a good relationship with Prince Philip – wasn’t in attendance to say goodbye to him.
“Meghan did her bit”
But still, she “did her bit”, according to Omid Scobie, a friend of Harry and Meghan.
“I think everyone will be very happy with the input that they’ve had into all of this,” he said on ABC’s podcast The HeirPod, as quoted by The Sun.
“We’ve seen all of the family members involved in their own way throughout the week. We’ve also seen signs from those that haven’t been able to attend. Of course the Sussexes were represented in full at the funeral.”
The funeral for Prince Philip obviously became a big talking point among those interested in the Royal Family. However, at the same time, there’s been plenty of talk about Meghan Markle and Harry.
They’ve been in the spotlight ever since their Oprah Winfrey interview, with many suggesting the funeral of Philip would be a “good” time to try and regain a measure of peace within the Royal Family.
Harry’s relationship with his brother William was reportedly heavily damaged after the many claims made in the sit down with Oprah – the two had barely spoken before Harry arrived back in the UK for Philip’s funeral. But right after they left St. George’s Chapel, pictures showed Harry and William talking to each other.
The fact that the two brothers spoke following the funeral shows that there is perhaps a glimpse of hope that their bond will prevail. This, hopefully, will give Harry and William a fresh start.
Harry & Meghan “ignored”
Royal commentator Richard Kay claims that William and Harry’s short chat after the service was a momentous one.
“For instead of hiding behind the bulletproof glass of their chauffeur-driven cars, the family walked side by side together, ripped off their face masks and talked,” he said as quoted by Express.
“This could have been a moment of risk, instead it allowed us the first glimpse of the possibility that somehow William and Harry can put their bitter split behind them and rebuild that once whisper-close bond.
But the talks following the funeral didn’t seem to go as well as they would’ve hoped for. At least not for Harry’s father Charles and brother Wiliam.
According to Radar Online, Charles and William approached Harry for a two-hour sit down. But instead of Harry being happy about it, he felt “ambushed”.
“Unproductive” meeting
Harry was ‘outraged’ about the meeting.
“The meeting after the family laid Prince Philip to rest was not scheduled. Harry felt ambushed by his dad and brother which is no way to start a peace process,” a source told Radar Online.
The same source says that William and Harry had some contact before the wedding, though it was more “texts than calls,” and their first attempt at patching up their relationship ended in failure.
Following on from that, Saturday’s conversation between the two and Charles was “unproductive”.
“Now to you negotiate peace with a couple who are willing to burn the whole place down? Harry and Meghan think they are coming to the table in a position of power and they have nothing else to lose,” the source said.
“Everything, from titles to money to security has already been taken away. If the family is serious about making peace they could start by returning everything they removed.”
Spoken with Meghan every day
At the same time as Harry felt “ambushed”, he also felt that it wasn’t the right time for him to talk about the Oprah interview and all the things that had happened with his brother and father.
In fact, he didn’t even want to be there without his wife Meghan Markle present, according to Radar Online.
Meghan Markle and son Archie watched the funeral from their home in Montecito, California. And according to People Magazine, Harry and Meghan made sure to have contact every day he was gone.
“Meghan and Harry have been in touch every day,” a source said. “She knows the trip to England has been difficult for Harry. He didn’t want to leave Meghan and Archie alone. Meghan has insisted to him every day though that they are fine. She hasn’t wanted him to worry.”
Might be “ditched” from royal family
So what happens next for Meghan and Harry? Well, it’s certain that the feud with the Royal Family isn’t over. And it will probably take quite a while before everything goes back to normal.
Earlier this week, a royal insider claimed that Prince Charles won’t be taking Harry’s side at all.
According to royal expert Angela Levin, Charles is planning to “ditch” Meghan and Harry from the Royal Family. This will happen when he becomes the king, she claims.
“Prince Charles has wanted for a very long time to cut the monarchy down to save costs and to make people be worth the money that they got from the taxpayer,” Levin said on TalkRADIO, as quoted by the Express.
What do you think will happen to Meghan and Harry? Will they make peace with the Royal Family or just cut the ties instead?
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