Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Miss King Charles' Second Trooping the Colour After Not Being Invited

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the event together three times during Queen Elizabeth's reign

Duke of Sussex Prince Harry (R) his wife Meghan Markle (L), Duchess of Sussex, visit the Lightway Academy in Abuja, Nigeria as part of celebrations of Invictus Games anniversary on May 10, 2024
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in Nigeria on May 10, 2024. Photo:

Emmanuel Osodi/Anadolu via Getty

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were once again absent from Trooping the Colour.

King Charles marked his second official birthday celebration and parade as monarch on June 15, but his younger son and daughter-in-law were missing from the festivities in London.

PEOPLE confirmed earlier this month that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had not been invited to Trooping the Colour for the second year in a row.

Prince Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, stepped back as working members of the royal family in 2020 and relocated to her home state of California, where they now live with their two children, their 5-year-old son, Prince Archie, and 3-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 09: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex travel down The Mall in a horse drawn carriage during Trooping The Colour 2018 on June 9, 2018 in London, England. The annual ceremony involving over 1400 guardsmen and cavalry, is believed to have first been performed during the reign of King Charles II. The parade marks the official birthday of the Sovereign, even though the Queen's actual birthday is on April 21st. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend Trooping the Colour in June 2018. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

While Prince Harry has been a regular at the staple of the royal calendar since childhood, the couple attended the event three times together following their royal wedding in 2018. Just a month after tying the knot, Meghan made her Trooping the Colour debut. They also took part in the event together the following year in 2019, just weeks after Archie's birth.

Trooping the Colour was significantly scaled down in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, held for Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle without a large gathering of family members.

Prince Harry and Meghan traveled from California to the U.K. for the event in 2022, which kicked off the Platinum Jubilee celebrations marking the late Queen's 70 years on the throne. However, they did not take part in the procession or the balcony appearance as they did in previous years. Queen Elizabeth limited the balcony gathering to only working royals and some of their children, so Harry and Meghan watched the festivities from a room above Horse Guards Parade along with other non-working royals.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 09: Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Savannah Phillips, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour 2018 on June 9, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (back row) attend Trooping the Colour in June 2018.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven't been in the U.K. for Trooping the Colour since his father acceded to the throne in Sept. 2022.

Prince Harry most recently returned to his home country in May to celebrate 10 years of the Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style competition for veterans and service personnel. However, Harry did not reunite with his father due to King Charles' "full" schedule. The father and son last saw each other in February when Harry flew to London to see the King amid news of the monarch's cancer diagnosis.

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Prince George of Wales, Britain's Prince Louis of Wales, Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Princess Charlotte of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's King Charles III and Britain's Queen Camilla wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after attending the King's Birthday Parade, "Trooping the Colour"
The royal family at Trooping the Colour 2024.

JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty

This year's Trooping the Colour saw Kate Middleton making her first royal outing since Christmas amid her cancer diagnosis. The Princess of Wales rode in a horse-drawn carriage and stepped out on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the event.

Princess Kate's attendance at King Charles' birthday parade was confirmed the day prior as she released a new photo and personal letter featuring a health update. After undergoing abdominal surgery in January, she announced in an emotional video released on March 22 that she'd been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.

"I’m looking forward to attending the King’s Birthday Parade this weekend with my family and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet," she said in the June 14 message.

Prince George of Wales, Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Prince Louis of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Princess Charlotte of Wales, Britain's King Charles III, Britain's Queen Camilla, Britain's Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Britain's Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, pose on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after attending the King's Birthday Parade "Trooping the Colour" in London
The royal family at Trooping the Colour 2024.

HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty

The Princess of Wales said in her June 14 message that she is "starting to do a little work from home" and expressed a "hope to join a few public engagements over the summer," but no date has been set for her to fully return to her royal duties. Any outings in the near future will be based on when she feels able and under the guidance of her medical team.

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