Prince Harry, Meghan Markle treated as 'second division' in major event

Having grown up within the confines of the Royal Family, Prince Harry was accustomed to the strict hierarchies and his prominent role within it. Even during his highly regarded military career, he remained within another institution governed by rigid rules.

Despite stepping back from official duties, Harry continues to participate in family events. However, one particular ceremony marked a significant shift in his familial position, lasting "19 minutes," as noted by a royal expert.

This event refers to the National Service of Thanksgiving during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022. It was the first time Harry and Meghan attended alongside William and Kate following their departure from royal duties and their revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey the previous year.

Held at St. Paul's Cathedral, the service held symbolic significance, being the same location where William and Harry's parents exchanged vows 41 years earlier.

During the service, the couples found themselves seated on opposite sides of the cathedral. William and Kate occupied the front row alongside Prince Charles and Camilla, while Harry and Meghan were seated beside their cousins Princess Eugenie and Beatrice, along with their spouses Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank.

Writing for the Mail, Richard Kay claimed that the seating arrangement showed the "public reality of Harry's slide down the royal pecking order, branding Charles, Camilla, William and Kate the "real stars of the show".

"As non-working royals, they are now very much in the second division," he said. "And although spared the indignity of sharing the coach that brought a clutch of minor royals who similarly do not do official duties, such as Princess Michael of Kent's son Lord Frederick Windsor, they were only just behind them."

Kay continued: "It was a painful 19 minutes before William and Kate arrived to take their seats. If the reality of his new life had escaped Prince Harry thus far, it must surely have sunk in then."

Two years have passed since the incident in question, and there have been few signs that the two brothers are any closer to making up than they were when they celebrated 70 years of Queen Elizabeth's reign.

Only a few months later, their grandmother died, and the brothers were brought together again in more somber circumstances. However, the release of Harry and Meghan's six-part Netflix documentary, and Harry's candid memoir Spare seemed to put further distance between the brothers.

Since Kate's announcement that she is being treated for cancer, Harry and Meghan are reported to have "reached out" to the Wales family privately and sent a public message of support to Kate - backing her request for privacy as she undergoes treatment and focuses on her recovery. 

Despite this, the brothers did not meet when Harry recently visited the UK to celebrate 10 years of the Invictus Games and it remains to be seen if they will find a way to mend fences.