Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Sat in the Second Row at Westminster Abbey
TL;DR:
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat in the second row at Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
- Seating arrangements reportedly went by age.
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle later sat in the front row at St. George’s Chapel for Queen Elizabeth’s committal service.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat in the second row at Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. The reason? Not because of a snub but reportedly due to the Duke of Sussex’s age.
Harry and Meghan sat behind King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex weren’t far from King Charles III and Camilla Parker Bowles at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. Among some 2,000 other guests, including dignitaries, heads of state, and European royalty, Harry and Meghan sat behind the king and the queen consort.
Harry and Meghan’s second-row seats stood out in contrast to the last time they were in London. They sat in the second row at St. Paul’s Cathedral for a service honoring Queen Elizabeth. The event, part of June 2022’s Platinum Jubilee weekend, had the couple across the aisle and one row back from Harry’s father and brother, Prince William.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat in the second row at Westminster Abbey because seats were reportedly arranged by age
Age reportedly dictated the seating arrangements at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on Sept. 19. Per Daily Beast, a Buckingham Palace source said Harry and Meghan’s second-row seat assignment wasn’t a snub.
“The order was approximately age order but trying not to split families up.” the source said.
However, the Prince of Wales, 40, who is now first in the royal family’s line of succession, was an exception. He sat in the front row alongside his wife, Kate Middleton, and their two oldest children, Prince George, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 7.
Meanwhile, the rest of Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren sat in order by age. Harry’s cousins, Peter Phillips, 44, and Zara Tindall, 41, the children of Princess Anne, sat in the front row. Harry, who turned 38 on Sept. 15, sat next to Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s children, Princess Beatrice, 34, and Princess Eugenie, 32, and their respective husbands.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat next to Prince William and Kate Middleton at St. George’s Chapel
After occupying the second row at the queen’s state funeral, Harry and Meghan had different seats at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel. At the second service of the day, a committal service for the late monarch, they sat in the front row.
Instead of sitting near Charles and Camilla, Harry and Meghan were close to the Prince and Princess of Wales. They sat in a front row pew. The same ones friends and family filled during their 2018 royal wedding.
Harry sat between Meghan and his niece, Charlotte. Then sat his sister-in-law, Kate, and his nephew, George. Finally, William rounded out the row in the end seat.
Following the televised ceremonies, the royal family gathered for one final private service to lay Queen Elizabeth to rest.
