London (AFP) – Prince Harry and his wife Meghan visited Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle on their first joint visit to the United Kingdom since they gave up official royal duties more than two years ago and moved to the United States.
On Thursday, the couple’s office said it had visited Harry’s 95-year-old grandmother on her way to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games. Harry is the founder and patron of the International Athletics Championships for Wounded Warriors.
Harry and Meghan have resigned as senior royals and moved to North America in 2020 due to intense pressure from their roles and racist attitudes in the British media.
The couple, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, lost their taxpayer-funded bodyguard when they left, and Harry is suing the British government for refusing to allow him to pay for police security during his visits to the UK. According to lawyers, Harry wants to take his two children – Archie, aged about 3, and Lillibet, 10 – to visit his homeland, but it is too risky without police protection.
Harry and Meghan are expected to attend a reception in The Hague on Friday for the Invictus Games, which will take place from Saturday to April 22.
The Queen’s visit came on Maundy Thursday, the weekday before Easter that the Queen has celebrated for decades by distributing silver coins, known as “mondegel”, to retirees during church services. This year, the Queen, who has struggled with mobility issues in recent months and contracted COVID-19 in February, was not in attendance. She is represented by her eldest son, Prince Charles, and his wife Camilla.
The King is also expected to miss the Royal Family Mass at Easter Chapel. She continued to perform royal duties, including virtual audiences with politicians and diplomats.
