London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Nov 23, 2025

Harry and Meghan to attend Queen's jubilee but won't be on Buckingham Palace balcony

Harry and Meghan to attend Queen's jubilee but won't be on Buckingham Palace balcony

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex will travel to the UK with their children for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee next month -- but the couple, along with Prince Andrew, have not been invited to join the monarch on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Plans were announced for Queen Elizabeth II's highly anticipated jubilee weekend on Friday. Harry and Meghan confirmed moments later that they will attend the festivities, giving the Queen a first chance to meet her granddaughter Lilibet.

"Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are excited and honoured to attend The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children," a spokesperson for the couple told CNN.

Hours earlier, CNN attended a media briefing at the palace on Friday to hear all the details for the jubilee. The celebrations have been eagerly awaited by royal fans worldwide, but we haven't had a full picture of how they'll unfold until now.

Here's everything we found out about the big day(s).

Harry, Meghan and Prince Andrew won't be on the balcony.


Several members of the royal family will make an appearance on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony during the Trooping the Colour parade, which kicks off the celebration on the morning of Thursday, June 2.

But only royals carrying out official duties will be included, a royal spokesperson told CNN.

That means Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex won't be present. The couple split from the royal family in 2020 and no longer take part in royal duties.

It also rules out Prince Andrew, who was stripped of royal duties and his HRH title in the wake of his civil sexual assault lawsuit. Andrew settled that suit out of court earlier this year, but his lengthy association with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein has tarnished his reputation and his involvement in the weekend posed awkward questions for organizers.

Prince Andrew attended a memorial service for Prince Philip in March.


The Queen will be joined by her three other children, Charles, Edward and Anne, the spokesperson said. Prince William and Kate are also expected with their children, alongside a number of the Queen's other relatives.

This doesn't mean Harry, Meghan or Andrew won't be involved in the celebrations at all. The wider family is traditionally invited to church services, like the one set for St. Paul's Cathedral on the Friday.

The Queen's attendance isn't confirmed.


Her Majesty is "looking forward" to the weekend and plans to take part in the celebrations, but "her presence will not be confirmed until much nearer the time or on the day itself," a royal source told CNN.

The 96-year-old monarch has struggled with mobility problems in recent weeks and has been forced to miss several public appearances, including this month's Buckingham Palace garden parties (more on that later...)

She'll continue to play it safe for the jubilee and hasn't confirmed whether she'll be present at the various festivities.

It may be up to her family to represent her again, as they've been doing during recent engagements. Not getting a glimpse of the monarch may disappoint some of the fans in attendance, but it's become a reality that the nonagenarian Queen has slimmed down her schedule.

A party at the palace.


We already knew that a concert was planned for outside Buckingham Palace, following the jubilee tradition of hosting some big music stars on an impressive stage near the building.

But now we know what that stage will look like -- and it'll be quite something.

Images of the stage outside Buckingham Palace were released on Friday.


The BBC has released an impression of the staging and it's also been announced that 22,000 people will be able to attend. That includes 5,000 tickets reserved for key workers.

Ten years ago, the Queen watched from a royal box and made an appearance on stage as stars like Paul McCartney, Elton John and Stevie Wonder sang for the monarch.

We don't yet know who will be performing this time around, but we'll keep you updated as we hear.

A flypast, a golden coach ride and a day at the races.


A whole lot more is planned for the four-day weekend. It's been confirmed that a Royal Air Force flypast will take place while the royals are waving to supporters on the Buckingham Palace balcony, a fitting climax to the Trooping the Colour ceremony.

Then, on Saturday, the racecourse at Epsom will stage the 243rd edition of its famous horse race, the Derby. The Queen, a keen horse breeder herself, has been a regular spectator at the event and has presented the famous trophy in the past.

On Sunday, streets across the UK will stage their own jubilee lunches. The palace said 60,000 people have registered so far.

And back in London, the weekend will be capped with the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on Sunday. It will feature a reappearance of the Gold State Coach, which has been used at major royal events since it was built in 1762.

The Queen rode in the coach during her jubilees in 1977 and 2002, but this time she won't be inside -- instead, film footage of the monarch during her coronation in 1952 will be played in the windows.

And there are more announcements to come between now and June 2. Keep your eyes on Royal News for all the details in the coming weeks.

IN THE ROYAL DIARY


The Queen won't attend her traditional summer garden parties at Buckingham Palace this year, another series of events the monarch is skipping as she suffers mobility problems.

Three events will take place in the grounds of the palace on May 11, 18 and 25, with a fourth in late June at Holyroodhouse in Scotland, it was announced on Thursday. Because of the pandemic, this will be the first time the parties have been held since 2019.

The 96-year-old Queen will be represented at the parties by other members of the family, though the palace hasn't yet confirmed which royals will attend.

Queen Elizabeth II at a garden party in 2018


Elizabeth has been forced to miss a number of events this year, including an Easter service last month.

The garden parties are a big part of the royal calendar, giving the monarch and her family the chance to meet with thousands of community leaders and celebrate their work.

But they do require long periods of standing and walking, and these are the kind of events that the Queen has had to skip in the past few months. She also hinted that she was left "exhausted" by Covid after catching the virus in February.

The Queen could still make it to next week's state opening of Parliament, a ceremonial event in which the monarch unveils the government's legislative agenda.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
China’s Wedding Boom: Nightclubs, Mountains and a Demographic Reset
Fugees Founding Member Pras Michel Sentenced to 14 Years in High-Profile US Foreign Influence Case
WhatsApp’s Unexpected Rise Reshapes American Messaging Habits
United States: Judge Dressed Up as Elvis During Hearings – and Was Forced to Resign
Johnson Blasts ‘Incoherent’ Covid Inquiry Findings Amid Report’s Harsh Critique of His Government
Lord Rothermere Secures £500 Million Deal to Acquire Telegraph Titles
Maduro Tightens Security Measures as U.S. Strike Threat Intensifies
U.S. Envoys Deliver Ultimatum to Ukraine: Sign Peace Deal by Thursday or Risk Losing American Support
Zelenskyy Signals Progress Toward Ending the War: ‘One of the Hardest Moments in History’ (end of his business model?)
U.S. Issues Alert Declaring Venezuelan Airspace a Hazard Due to Escalating Security Conditions
The U.S. State Department Announces That Mass Migration Constitutes an Existential Threat to Western Civilization and Undermines the Stability of Key American Allies
Students Challenge AI-Driven Teaching at University of Staffordshire
Pikeville Medical Center Partners with UK’s Golisano Children’s Network to Expand Pediatric Care
Germany, France and UK Confirm Full Support for Ukraine in US-Backed Security Plan
UK Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods Face Rising Backlash as Pandemic Schemes Unravel
UK Records Coldest Night of Autumn as Sub-Zero Conditions Sweep the Country
UK at Risk of Losing International Doctors as Workforce Exodus Grows, Regulator Warns
ASU Launches ASU London, Extending Its Innovation Brand to the UK Education Market
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Visit China in January as Diplomatic Reset Accelerates
Google Launches Voluntary Buyouts for UK Staff Amid AI-Driven Company Realignment
UK braces for freezing snap as snow and ice warnings escalate
Majority of UK Novelists Fear AI Could Displace Their Work, Cambridge Study Finds
UK's Carrier Strike Group Achieves Full Operational Capability During NATO Drill in Mediterranean
Trump and Mamdani to Meet at the White House: “The Communist Asked”
Nvidia Again Beats Forecasts, Shares Jump in After-Hours Trading
Wintry Conditions Persist Along UK Coasts After Up to Seven Centimetres of Snow
UK Inflation Eases to 3.6 % in October, Opening Door for Rate Cut
UK Accelerates Munitions Factory Build-Out to Reinforce Warfighting Readiness
UK Consumer Optimism Plunges Ahead of November Budget
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
Caribbean Reparations Commission Seeks ‘Mutually Beneficial’ Justice from UK
EU Insists UK Must Contribute Financially for Access to Electricity Market and Broader Ties
UK to Outlaw Live-Event Ticket Resales Above Face Value
President Donald Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at White House to Seal Major Defence and Investment Deals
German Entertainment Icons Alice and Ellen Kessler Die Together at Age 89
UK Unveils Sweeping Asylum Reforms with 20-Year Settlement Wait and Conditional Status
UK Orders Twitter Hacker to Repay £4.1 Million Following 2020 High-Profile Breach
Popeyes UK Eyes Century Mark as Fried-Chicken Chain Accelerates Roll-out
Two-thirds of UK nurses report working while unwell amid staffing crisis
Britain to Reform Human-Rights Laws in Sweeping Asylum Policy Overhaul
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
×