Britain’s Prince Harry made his first public appearance on Thursday since Queen Elizabeth acceded to the wishes of her grandson and his American wife Meghan to step back from their senior royal roles and seek a more independent future.
The prince, sixth-in-line to the throne, watched children playing rugby league in the back garden of Buckingham Palace ahead of making the draw for the sport’s World Cup next year.
The event was his last scheduled royal engagement before he and Meghan begin a “period of transition” to their new roles.
It also provided media an opportunity to ask questions about his future plans.
According to British media, Harry ignored the questions regarding his future.
But a royal reporter said the prince laughed when the question was asked .
"Prince Harry ignored questions from the media in BP garden about how discussions are progressing on his and Meghan’s future. He had his back to the media but apparently laughed when the first question was asked. He’s still got his sense of humour!" royal reporter Emily Andrews tweeted.
Last week, Harry, 35, and former actress Meghan, 38, sparked a crisis in the British monarchy by announcing they wanted to reduce their royal duties and spend more time in North America, while also becoming financially independent.
The public announcement caught the rest of the royal family by surprise and left the Queen and other senior Windsors hurt and disappointed, according to royal sources. A friend of Harry and Meghan said the couple felt they had been driven out.