Prince Harry and Meghan Visit Queen Elizabeth Together for 1st Time in 2 Years

The Duchess of Sussex has not publicly returned to Europe since March 2020 following the announcement

Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry
Max Mumby | Indigo | Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, recently visited Queen Elizabeth II, marking the couple’s first return to the U.K. together since moving to California in 2020

A spokesperson for Prince Harry, 37, and the former Meghan Markle, 40, confirmed to TODAY that the pair visited Queen Elizabeth II on their way to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games, which begin this weekend.

News of their meeting surfaced after the queen missed Maundy Thursday services at St. George’s Chapel. She is not expected to attend Sunday's traditional Easter services either.

Queen Elizabeth II revealed last week that she was “tired and exhausted” after battling COVID-19 in February.  

But, that hasn’t stopped her from working. 

“She’s actually come to a new work-life balance, if you like,” NBC News royal expert Daisy McAndrew explained on TODAY Thursday.

Queen Elizabeth II has had to cancel some planned virtual enragements after recently testing positive for COVID-19 and experiencing mild flu-like symptoms.

The Duchess of Sussex has not publicly returned to Europe since March 2020 following the announcement that she and her husband had decided to officially "step back" as senior royals.  

In the years since, the two did a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey and welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, who will turn 1 on June 4.

The two are also parents to Archie, who will turn 3 on May 6.

Earlier this year, Prince Harry challenged the British government’s decision to not allow him to pay for his police protection during his returns to the U.K. 

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex personally fund a private security team for their family, yet that security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed whilst in the U.K.,” his legal representative said in a statement by email in January.

Last month, his spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that he would not travel to the U.K. to attend a memorial service that honored his late grandfather, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His grandfather died on April 9, 2021, at age 99. 

Prince Harry was present at Prince Philip’s official funeral in 2021 in Windsor, England.   

Queen Elizabeth will mark her first birthday without her husband in over seven decades. The monarch is turning 95 on April 21 - but don't expect a celebration since the Queen is observing an official mourning period until April 23 following the death of Prince Philip. The royal is likely to spend her special day driving herself to one of her favorite parts of Windsor to walk her new dogs, Fergus and Muick, according to the Daily Mail. According to reports, she also will not be releasing an official birthday portrait as she has in year’s past.

This will be Prince Harry’s fifth Invictus Games. He started the multi-day sporting competition, which honors wounded service members and veterans, in 2014. 

The international sports competition runs from April 16 to April 22 in the Dutch city The Hague this year. 

In 2017, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made her first public appearance at one of his events when she attended the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in Toronto to show support for then-boyfriend Prince Harry.

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