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Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Appear Alongside Prince William And Kate For First Time In Two Years

The Platinum Jubilee service was the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's first public appearance with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge since March 2020.
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Senior Reporter, HuffPost

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The Sussexes are back in town.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made their first official public appearance at Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee on Friday.

The couple joined other members of the royal family, including Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prince William and Kate Middleton; Prince Edward; and Princess Anne, at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving in honor of the queen’s 70 years on the throne.

Harry and Meghan attended Thursday’s Trooping the Colour, the official celebration of the British monarch’s birthday, though they did not appear with other members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony, as they are no longer working royals.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive at the National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral on June 3 in London.
Chris J Ratcliffe via Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive at the National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral on June 3 in London.
The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II is being celebrated from June 2 to June 5 to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II.
WPA Pool via Getty Images
The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II is being celebrated from June 2 to June 5 to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured with Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall.
WPA Pool via Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured with Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall.

The service marked the Sussexes’ first public appearance alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge since March 2020, when both couples attended a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. Meghan and Harry officially stepped back as working royals that month and moved to California, where they now reside.

On Friday, the royal couples did not sit on the same side of the church, and were not seen together before or after the service.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leaving the National Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee at St. Paul's Cathedral on June 3, 2022 in London.
WPA Pool via Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leaving the National Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee at St. Paul's Cathedral on June 3, 2022 in London.
Princess Anne seated alongsid the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on June 3 in London.
WPA Pool via Getty Images
Princess Anne seated alongsid the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on June 3 in London.

Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday night that the Queen herself would not attend Friday’s service because of health concerns.

“Taking into account the journey and activity required to participate ... Her Majesty with great reluctance has concluded that she will not attend,” the palace said in a statement.

The 96-year-old monarch experienced “some discomfort” during Thursday’s events, the palace added. The queen’s disgraced son, Prince Andrew, also bowed out of the service after he tested positive for Covid-19.

A source close to the duke told HuffPost on Thursday that Andrew was “naturally disappointed and saddened that he will not be able to join other royal family members” at the service.

Check out more pictures of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations below:

Samir Hussein via Getty Images
Prince Louis lets out a yell as members of the Royal Air Force fly past Buckingham Palace in London.
Chris Jackson via Getty Images
The royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour on June 2.
Samir Hussein via Getty Images
Prince Charles and Prince William at Trooping the Colour, also known as the Queen's Birthday Parade. It is a military ceremony performed by regiments of the British Army that has taken place since the mid-17th century and marks the official birthday of the British sovereign.
Samir Hussein via Getty Images
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duchess of Cambridge travel by carriage at Trooping the Colour.
Chris Jackson via Getty Images
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis of Cambridge during Trooping the Colour.
Karwai Tang via Getty Images
The Household Cavalry rides down The Mall during the Trooping the Colour parade.
Karwai Tang via Getty Images
The queen's daughter Princess Anne during the Trooping the Colour parade.
James Devaney via Getty Images
Animal rebellion activists are arrested during Trooping the Colour.
Karwai Tang via Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
OLI SCARFF via Getty Images
A re-enactor checks his cellphone ahead of a ceremony for the beacon lighting at a section of Hadrian's Wall in northern England on June 2, a part of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
ADRIAN DENNIS via Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II touches the Commonwealth Nations Globe to start the lighting of the Principal Beacon at Windsor Castle on June 2.
Chris Jackson via Getty Images
Projections displayed on the front of Buckingham Palace depict Queen Elizabeth II during the lighting of the beacon on June 2.
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