Trooping The Colour Tradition Marked The Beginning Of The End For Meghan And Kate's Relationship
King Charles III's first-ever Trooping the Colour was held on June 17, which makes for a very historic event. Of course, after we saw how the guest list for the king's coronation panned out, it was a surprise to no one that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry would not be in attendance at the annual ceremony. These days, how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex RSVP to royal engagements is clouded by lots of very public family drama. Yet when it comes to Trooping the Colour, it's more than likely that Meghan wouldn't have wanted to attend regardless of her part in the royal family feud.
Whether you've read it or simply heard about it, we all know that there was no shortage of startling revelations from Prince Harry's memoir, "Spare." The book famously gave the public some insight into what really goes on behind the scenes of royal life and what the paparazzi don't show us. Among these revelations was an interesting explanation of what it was like for Meghan Markle at her first ever Trooping the Colour back in 2018. Suffice it to say, for Meghan, this event wasn't quite as celebratory as it may have seemed on camera.
Kate Middleton was less than welcoming at the 2018 Trooping the Colour
Of all the people who might have been a comforting presence for Meghan Markle as she navigated entering the royal family, her sister-in-law-to-be — who had already been through the tough and nerve-wracking experience — would have been the best bet. However, according to Prince Harry's memoir, "Spare," Kate Middleton didn't exactly go out of her way to make Meghan feel welcome.
While Harry painted a detailed picture of this among the pages of "Spare," one noteworthy moment in Kate and Meghan's relationship occurred at the 2018 Trooping the Colour. This was Meghan's first time at the traditional ceremony –– marking an occasion that was surely daunting for a royal newcomer. According to Harry, during the ceremony, Kate asked Meghan her opinion on her first time at Trooping the Colour. Meghan jokingly responded by calling it "Colourful." In response, according to Harry, "a yawning silence threatened to swallow us all whole," suggesting that Kate had no interest in entertaining Meghan's joke and instead replied with nothing but silence.
Harry made it clear that this was far from the start of the uncomfortable friction between the royals and Meghan. Yet, this moment made it clear that things were far from harmonious even at this early point in time. Harry noted that he felt that the Prince and Princess of Wales were guilty of "stereotyping" their new sister-in-law.
This year's Trooping the Colour isn't free from drama
Photos of the 2018 Trooping the Colour show Meghan Markle in a light pink dress and hat smiling and chatting, seemingly fitting in with her new family on an important occasion. However, Prince Harry's words prove just how different what the public sees is from what's going on behind the scenes. Consequently, it's easy to wonder about the truth behind the photos at this year's Trooping the Colour.
Prince William's updated military uniform before Trooping the Colour signified his new royal role, and King Charles III revived a decades-old horseback riding tradition at the ceremony. These are just a few of the developments that prove that there are major changes going on within the royal family as a result of the new monarch.
Yet despite the revisions and deliberate strides toward a more relevant, refreshed, and modern monarchy, Harry and Meghan's strained position in the family remains the same. It's been reported that it may not have actually been by choice that Harry and Meghan didn't attend this year's Trooping the Colour. The duke and duchess were allegedly not invited to the event, at all, with a source telling The Daily Mail, "I'm afraid it's a reflection of the state of relations at the moment." So, while this event was certainly not created in order to highlight the dysfunction among members of the royal family, over the past five years, this has clearly become somewhat of a tradition.