'There was a bit of a groan': Meghan Markle gets mixed reactions from crowd at surprise reunion with royals
WINDSOR, ENGLAND: Meghan Markle garnered mixed reactions from the crowd in Windsor on Saturday, September 10 as she made a comeback to royal life and delivered a special appearance with the new Prince and Princess of Wales.
Warring brothers Prince William and Prince Harry and their wives Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle reunited at Windsor Castle on Saturday to take a look at the floral tributes for late Queen Elizabeth II and greet the well-wishers of the royal family. Dubbed "Fab Four", the two couples, dressed in mourning black, were seen inspecting the growing floral tributes laid outside the gates of the Berkshire estate.
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While William, Harry, and Kate received a big round of applause from the British public, the run for Meghan, who stepped back from royal duty in 2021 and decided to settle a new home in a $14 million mansion in the US, was apparently not very smooth.
The Duchess of Sussex, who delivered a series of bombshell interviews about her time in the royal family, was seen hugging and consoling the mourners waiting for the couples outside the gate. She was even seen cooing over the babies in the crowd. But, the British crowd outside the gate did not seem very happy with Meghan’s presence. Some members of the crowd greeted Meghan with stony faces as she took part in the walkabout.
While Harry was seen kneeling petting a dog, Meghan was captured being given a close hug by a young girl in the crowd at Windsor Castle. The pair spoke briefly for a few moments and Meghan could be seen assuring her by putting her hand on her shoulder. One well-wisher who spoke to Harry and Meghan told MailOnline, "It's lovely to see them both together. Maybe they can get back to a proper relationship."
"Lovely ripple went through the crowd as they approached. Hopefully, the healing between Harry and his brother can start now. I'm just so excited to have seen them both together. It's lovely," a mourner added.
Another mourner said, "We couldn't believe it when the gates opened, and we saw William and Harry walk down with Meghan and Kate. I'll be honest there was a little bit of a groan when Harry and Meghan came down our side, but I passed him a bunch of flowers and he was happy to take them. I'm pleased that they came out together and as a family. I'm delighted that they all took the time to come and say hello to the crowds. Sad things like funerals bring families together so I hope that when they get back to California they think long and hard about everything that's happened."
This was the first time when the Prince and Princess of Wales and Duke and Duchess of Sussex were seen making a public appearance together since they left their royal duties and moved to the United States. Now it seems like William is making effort to melt down the ice between the two couples as he invited the Sussexes to join him and the Princess of Wales. The Sussexes' friend journalist Omid Scobie later claimed on Twitter that the invitation was made at the "11th hour". He declared, "It is, without a doubt, a significant moment in the history of the relationship between the two brothers."
Currently, Harry and Meghan are staying at Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate, which is just a 15-min drive away from William and Kate’s new Adelaide Cottage. Harry and Meghan were initially on a whistle-stop tour, attending two charity events in Britain and another in Germany for the former’s Invictus Games for a disabled veteran. But they are now expected to stay for the queen’s funeral which will be held at the Westminster Abbey in London on September 19, 2022.