Prince Harry left ‘fighting back tears’ after final straw family drama with William and Kate

There’s no shortage of Royal Family drama when it comes to Prince Harry versus Prince William. Exhibit A? Even though the pair have hardly seen each other in over five years now, we’re still learning about new moments that strained their sibling rivalry to breaking point half a decade on.

This week marked Commonwealth Day, an occasion which the Royal Family always commemorates by attending a special service at Westminster Abbey. This year’s service, that took place on Monday, March 10, was of course attended by everyone you would expect, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, William, and Kate Middleton. The occasion was naturally drama-free and all appeared to be in good spirits.

Rewind back to the Commonwealth Day service in 2020, however, and there was a very different vibe bringing down the mood in Westminster Abbey that day, and Harry and Meghan were at the heart of it.

Harry and Meghan left “sensitive and emotional” after Royal Family’s rude snub

Picture the scene: Back in January 2020, Harry and Meghan made the shocking decision to abandon the royal way of life, but as they had yet to move to North America (that wouldn’t happen until that July), the Duke and Duchess of Sussex still attended that year’s Commonwealth Day service with the rest of the family. To the surprise of no one, it did not go well.

As per the Daily Mail, 2,000 order of services were sent out ahead of time that detailed the most important items of note about the event, including that William and Kate would be entering the Abbey with the late Queen Elizabeth II and then-Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla. However, there was no mention made of Harry and Meghan.

Understandably, given how relations with their relatives were already on a knife’s edge, Harry and Meghan were left “quite sensitive and emotional about” this snub, according to royal author and expert Robert Lacey. He continued, “Observers also noted that Harry’s face was ‘quite tense and unsmiling’ — and that when William sat down close to him, he barely greeted his brother.”

While Meghan was a pro at appearing entirely unfazed for the cameras, those in attendance alleged that Harry was so hurt he was unable to hide his emotions and even appeared to be on the verge of tears over how he was being not-so-subtly ousted from his own family. This is even supported by photos from the event (see top of page), in which Harry’s expression does appear very somber.

“Throughout the service, Meghan megawatted away with her best TV smile but, as the ceremony progressed, Harry appeared to grow gloomier,” Lacey went on. “According to one observer, ‘his accelerated blinking even suggested he might have been fighting back tears.'”

The tone of this year’s Commonwealth Day service couldn’t have been more different from this more dramatic affair from 2020. With both King Charles and Princess Kate having to skip last year’s due to their cancer treatments, this event had the celebratory air of a family reunion, even if Harry and Meghan were obviously absent. In fact, this upsetting incident from March 2020 ended up being the last public appearance Harry and Meghan made with the Royals until the queen’s death in 2022. And it’s unpleasant memories like this that will probably ensure they’ll never willingly make another.