Meghan Markle and Prince Harry join royal family at Buckingham Palace

United in grief: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry join the royal family including the Prince and Princess of Wales to receive the Queen’s coffin at Buckingham Palace

  • Meghan Markle and Prince Harry travelled to Buckingham Palace this evening to join the entire Royal Family 
  • Members including King Charles III, the Queen Consort and the Prince of Wales received the Queen’s coffin 
  • The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were spotted in their vehicle when arriving at the London royal residence 

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry travelled to Buckingham Palace this evening to join the entire Royal Family – including King Charles III, the Queen Consort and the Prince and Princess of Wales – as they received the Queen’s coffin.

The US-based Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have remained in the UK following what was supposed to be a whistlestop tour of Europe, were spotted in their vehicle when arriving at the London royal residence.

Earlier today, the Queen’s coffin left St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, and was flown to RAF Northolt, before being driven to the palace, where the late monarch will spend the night for the last time.

On the steps of the grand entrance Charles and Camilla were joined by William, Kate, Meghan and Harry along with the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise and Viscount Severn, the Duke of York and his daughters Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank and Princess Beatrice and her spouse Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

Lady Sarah Chatto and Earl Snowdon, the children of Princess Margaret the Queen’s sister, were among the group to pay their respects to their aunt.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry travelled to Buckingham Palace this evening to join the entire Royal Family – including King Charles III, the Queen Consort and the Prince and Princess of Wales – as they received the Queen’s coffin

The US-based Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have remained in the UK following what was supposed to be a whistlestop tour of Europe, were spotted in their vehicle when arriving at the London royal residence

The Prince and Princess of Wales (pictured) en route to Buckingham Palace to join other senior royals and receive the coffin of the Queen, which was flown from Edinburgh today

Standing in the palace’s quadrangle was a guard of honour formed from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards and they gave the royal salute as the hearse came to a stop.

The bearer party, from the Queen’s Company 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, carried the coffin into the bow room and in a poignant moment the sovereign’s piper, Pipe Major Paul Burns of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, played a lament.

Prince Harry’s appearance comes after a royal author today said the Duke’s autobiography will be published as planned in November despite the Queen’s death. 

Tom Bower, whose biography of Meghan Markle was released earlier this year, claimed the Duke of Sussex was ‘insisting’ on the original date being honoured.

Prince Harry (pictured left with Meghan) today said his ‘decade of service is not determined by the uniform he wears’ after he was ‘banned’ from donning a military outfit at the Queen’s funeral or the events leading up to it

The Duke of Sussex , who saw action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan , revealed he will wear a morning suit during the official commemorations. Pictured, the Duchess of Sussex

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla arriving at Buckingham Palace, where they were meeting the entire royal family

Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank looked emotional as they arrived at Buckingham Palace this evening

Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi is pictured supporting Princess Beatrice as they receive Queen’s coffin at Buckingham Palace

‘I am told tonight that Harry is insisting that his book is published in November,’ he told GB News. ‘Apparently the publishers are not too certain, but he says if they don’t publish it will be a breach of contract. That’s what I’m told.

‘His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears’: Fuming Harry issues terse statement reminding the world of his years in the army after being banned from donning military outfits during events honouring the Queen 

Prince Harry today said his ‘decade of service is not determined by the uniform he wears’ after he was ‘banned’ from donning a military outfit at the Queen’s funeral or the events leading up to it. 

The Duke of Sussex, who saw action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan, revealed he will wear a morning suit during the official commemorations. 

Harry has been prevented from wearing his military uniform at the late monarch’s state funeral even though his disgraced uncle the Duke of York will be permitted to do so at the Vigil of the Princes in Westminster Hall. 

Following a series of reports about the issue, the Duke of Sussex’s spokesman said today: ‘[Prince Harry] will wear a morning suit throughout events honouring his grandmother. 

‘His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.’ 

Only working royals – which Harry and Andrew are not – are being permitted to dress in uniform at five ceremonial occasions.

These are the St Giles’ Cathedral service in Edinburgh, which took place on Monday, and the coffin’s procession to Westminster Hall, the vigil at the lying in state, the funeral in Westminster Abbey and the committal service in Windsor.

But an exception has been made for Andrew who will wear a uniform as a ‘special mark of respect’ for the Queen when he stands guard around her coffin during the Vigil of the Princes.

He is expected to be joined by the Queen’s other children – the King, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex – at the proceedings during the lying in state later this week.

It is likely to be a bitter blow for ex-solder Harry, who is proud of his decade in the forces, and who was saddened after being stripped of his honorary military roles including Captain General of the Royal Marines by the Queen post-Megxit.

Today, a royal expert suggested the Queen would have wanted Harry to be able to wear his uniform during at the funeral and the events leading up to it. 

Camilla Tominey, who is associate editor at the Telegraph, said the decision looks ‘out of step with what his beloved grandmother would have wanted’.

She said the move, which she branded ‘needless friendly fire’, may be due to ‘ongoing concerns’ about the upcoming publication of Harry’s tell-all autobiography.

She added: ‘All it has succeeded in doing is give the couple more ammunition for their next salvo against an institution they claim resented their presence from the very beginning.’

Harry was forced to stop wearing military uniform at ceremonial events after he had to give up his honorary titles when he and his wife Meghan Markle stepped down as working royals.

On Monday, Harry wrote of his special memories of when the Queen attended his passing out parade in 2006 when he became an officer in the British Army.

He told of his ‘first meeting’ with his Granny as ‘my Commander-in-Chief’ – and was believed to be referring to the occasion when the late monarch made him grin and blush while she reviewed the cadets.

Andrew stepped down from public life after the furore over his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

He went on to pay millions to settle, without admitting liability, a civil sexual assault case to a woman he claimed never to have met.

In January, ahead of his legal settlement, the Queen stripped him of all of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and he gave up his HRH style.

Andrew, a former Royal Navy officer who served in the Falklands War, retained his rank as a Vice Admiral, and is expected to wear the coinciding uniform.

Virginia Giuffre sued him for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was 17 after she was trafficked by Epstein. Andrew denied the claims.

At the service of thanksgiving in St Giles’ on Monday, Andrew was in a morning suit, while his siblings, including Edward who dropped out of the Royal Marines, wore military dress as they processed behind the Queen’s coffin.

Andrew wore eight medals and decorations – his South Atlantic Medal for service in the Falklands, his Silver, Golden, Diamond and Platinum medals, a Royal Navy Long Service Medals with Bars, Canadian Forces Decoration with Bar and New Zealand Commemoration Medal.

At the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in April 2021, the dress issue was dealt with by the Queen who decided that no members of the royal family should wear uniform.

It was a break with tradition but seen as the most eloquent solution to the problem.

Reports had suggested Andrew was considering wearing the uniform of an admiral.

He was due to be promoted to Admiral in 2020 to mark his 60th birthday, but this did not go ahead following the fallout from his disastrous Newsnight appearance.

‘It’s extraordinary. But on the other hand it fits the bill, because Harry and Meghan’s finances depend entirely on the book and on Netflix.

‘And also, I think they are convinced they’re in the right and they want to get their own back.’

Today, a source close to the Duke denied the claims Bower made to GB News. Meanwhile, Penguin has previously announced that Harry will be donating proceeds from the book to charity.

Earlier this week, royal experts told MailOnline it would be a very bad look for Harry to publish anything controversial at this time.

Meanwhile, publishing sources have suggested that it may be pushed back to 2023 to allow Prince Harry time to write additional chapters on the passing of the Queen.

Phil Dampier suggested that despite Harry and William’s walkabout at Windsor earlier this week, the rift between the Sussexes and the rest of the Royal family is ‘as raw as ever’.

And fellow Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said he never thought the book should have been written but for it to be published now, even with an additional chapter discussing the late Queen, would be ill-advised.

He said: ‘It is not a matter of a re-write, it’s a matter of a re-think. Were it to be published, if it had anything sensational it would be tasteless.

‘It is a matter for him how he wants to be perceived. With a new reign it is natural that his loyalty is to his father who is very fond of him.

‘What better way to show his loyalty than by postponing, even permanently, the memoir which never should have been linked to the Queen’s jubilee year.

Mr Fitzwilliams said the damage to Prince Harry’s reputation would naturally depend on what the book discusses, which is still a mystery.

‘But it would be inappropriate for him to publish anything that had any controversial content especially at this time,’ he said.

Mr Dampier said publishing the memoir would ruin any chance of a family reconciliation, adding: ‘If Harry makes things worse there is no way back for him. That would be a line crossed and Charles and William would find it hard to forgive him.’

Sources allege neither King Charles nor Prince William, or their lawyers and advisers, have been given the opportunity to preview any parts of the manuscript.

The family has also received no specific information about the expected release date of the book, which is being published by Penguin Random House.

It was revealed in July that Harry and ghostwriter JR Moehringer had finished the book and the final manuscript had been signed off by lawyers. But now there might be a frantic re-write if the Prince does still intend to release the memoir this year.

According to a report in Radar earlier this week, a publishing expert has said that the book will be delayed to allow Harry time to write additional chapters to talk about the passing of the Queen.

‘They don’t want the book to be out of date before it’s even published,’ the source added. ‘It will also give Harry a chance to reflect on his thoughts about his father.’

Penguin Random House has described the book as ‘a heartfelt memoir from one of the most fascinating and influential global figures of our time’.

The publisher’s website says: ‘Prince Harry will share, for the very first time, the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him.

‘Covering his lifetime in the public eye from childhood to the present day, including his dedication to service, the military duty that twice took him to the frontlines of Afghanistan, and the joy he has found in being a husband and father, Prince Harry will offer an honest and captivating personal portrait, one that shows readers that behind everything they think they know lies an inspiring, courageous, and uplifting human story.’

Prince Harry, who will be donating any proceeds to charity, said he hopes his story will ‘help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think’.

Penguin Random House has not yet released a statement on whether the explosive release will be delayed in light of Queen Elizabeth’s death. 

Meanwhile, mourners tonight cheered and clapped in the rain as the new state hearse – which the late monarch helped to design – travelled down Constitution Hill and around the Queen Victoria Memorial, slowing on its approach, before driving through the gates of the palace and through the central arch into the quadrangle.

With a glass roof and large side windows, the hearse was designed to give members of the public a clear view, and featured interior lights that shone brightly in the gloomy London evening.

For one night the coffin will lie at rest in the palace’s bow room before the monarch is handed to the nation to allow the public to pay their respects when she lies in state at the ancient Westminster Hall for four days.

The King will be joined by his sons William and Harry as they walk behind the coffin as it is transported tomorrow.

Charles, William and Harry – along with the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex – will follow the coffin on foot. Anne’s son Peter Phillips and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence will also walk in the procession, as well as the Duke of Gloucester and the Earl of Snowdon.

The Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales, the Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Sussex will travel by car.

Earlier today, the RAF Globemaster C-17 plane carrying Her Majesty’s coffin from Edinburgh landed at RAF Northolt at 6.55pm after she spent 24 hours in St Giles’ Cathedral – where tens of thousands of mourners paid their respects to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.

The Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and the Lord Chamberlain disembarked the plane and walked in silence to join the Reception Party, including Prime Minister Liz Truss and Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace, on the airfield.

Moments after the aircraft landed, Princess Anne issued a poignant statement telling of how she was ‘fortunate to share the last 24 hours of my dearest Mother’s life’.

Tom Bower, whose biography of Meghan Markle was released earlier this year, claimed the Duke of Sussex was ‘insisting’ on the original date being honoured. Today, a source close to the Duke denied the claims Bower made to GB News

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