'Deeply upset': Prince William spent no private time with Harry as he STILL feels let down, says friend
Despite Prince Harry and Meghan Markle flying back to the UK to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, William and Kate Middleton reportedly didn't interact with the couple. The Cambridges made no effort to introduce their children, Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4, to their cousins Lilibet, 1, and Archie, 3.
Both brothers attended the Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral but were seated on opposite sides of the church. "He's still deeply upset about it and feels let down, but he's moved on," a friend of the royals told The Sunday Times. "He was incredibly worried about having all the family there, and what everyone was going to say. He was so relieved that most of the media made it all about the Queen, Prince Charles, and the children — they are the key people — and he was really pleased about that," the friend added.
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Prince William and Kate refuse to attend Lilibet's first birthday despite Meghan and Harry's invite
The friend said, "It's his grandmother and conservation, which he's so passionate about, so he was nervous about how he would come across," and added that "he was delighted with how it all went." Meanwhile, as per royal author Christopher Anderson, they were prevented from photographing Queen Elizabeth with Lilibet, which hit the Sussexes hard.
According to The Sun, Andersen told Royally US, "We now know that the Queen, well, the men in grey who really handle things, would not permit the Queen's photograph to be taken with Lilibet. That spoke volumes, it was a really bitter pill for Meghan and Harry to swallow. You have to remember, Archie was photographed with the Queen, and Prince Philip, and Doria Ragland when he was two days old."
"It's a tradition to be photographed with the monarch when you're a grandchild or a great-grandchild. But this was a really different feeling," he added. On the other hand, Meghan and Harry's olive branch was not accepted by William and Kate when they did not attend Lilibet's first birthday party despite an invitation. A royal insider told Page Six, "Things are still fraught — William is still wary of spending any time alone with Harry as you never quite know what may be reported back afterwards."
Journalist Omid Scobie tweeted, "A spokesperson tells me Harry and Meghan 'remain incredibly touched by the countless birthday wishes for their daughter' and have also been 'amazed' to learn that Sussex supporters around the world have made donations amounting to over $100K to @WCKitchen in Lilibet's honor."
A spokesperson tells me Harry and Meghan "remain incredibly touched by the countless birthday wishes for their daughter" and have also been "amazed" to learn that Sussex supporters around the world have made donations amounting to over $100K to @WCKitchen in Lilibet's honor.
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) June 6, 2022
According to The Sun, Meghan and Harry only met the Queen for 15 minutes, as the time to meet her was kept "formal" by Buckingham Palace aides. "It was a quick in and out job. It was all quite formal," a source told the portal. This was the first time the Queen met her great-granddaughter Lilibet, who was named after her. "Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet," said the statement released by Meghan and Harry in 2020.