Somber Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Separated During Car Ride to Queen Elizabeth’s Lying in State Service
Royal sisters-in-law Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle appeared unified as they stood alongside their husbands, Prince William and Prince Harry, as the quartet honored Queen Elizabeth II at her Westminster Hall lying in state service. However, the women traveled in different cars without their husbands to attend the sad event. Who accompanied the women in their vehicles, and why were they separated?
Queen Elizabeth II’s death reunited Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle
Middleton and Markle had not seen each other since June 2022, when they attended the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee ahead of the monarch’s passing.
On June 2, 2022, the couple attended Trooping the Color, an official celebration of the queen’s birthday. However, the couple did not appear alongside other working royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Instead, Prince Harry and Markle watched the ceremony from the Major General’s Office inside Buckingham Palace. Unlike other royal family members, the duo did not arrive at the event in a carriage.
The following day, at the National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Harry and Markle made their first public appearance with the royals since 2020. Inside the church, they sat in the second row with Harry’s cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and their husbands.
The Princess of Wales and Duchess of Sussex arrived at Westminster Hall in separate cars
The Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex traveled in separate cars during the procession of the queen’s coffin. Queen Elizabeth II made her final journey from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where she will lie in state for the next four days.
They rode behind their husbands, who escorted the hearse containing their grandmother’s coffin on foot. William and Harry walked alongside King Charles III and his siblings, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward. Also walking behind the queen’s coffin was Peter Phillips, Princess Anne’s son.
The Mirror reported that Middleton and Markle rode in their cars in order of their line of succession. Therefore, Middleton rode with Camilla Parker Bowles, the Queen Consort.
The Duchess of Sussex and Countess of Wessex, the wives of Prince Harry and Prince Edward respectively, followed because their husbands were of the next highest rank.
Inside Westminster Hall, Meghan and Harry sat a row behind William and Kate
Her Majesty The Queen’s coffin arrived at the Palace of Westminster today under the care of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery and Grenadier Guards.
— British Army ?? (@BritishArmy) September 14, 2022
Her Majesty’s coffin will now be lying-in-state, under vigil, until the funeral.https://t.co/IKr3xMyqjF pic.twitter.com/pqKhEQ7j96
Inside Westminster Hall, the royals gathered for the service led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and accompanied by the Dean of Westminster, said The Mirror. The Sussexes stood at the back of the group of senior royals, with Harry directly behind William and Meghan behind Kate.
The royal family lined up inside the hall in order of their rank. Therefore, King Charles III and his wife Parker Bowles were in the front. Behind the ruling monarch stood Princess Anne and her husband, Timothy Laurence, Prince Andrew, who stood solo, and Prince Edward with his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
Following were William, Prince of Wales, and his wife, Kate, Princess of Wales. Behind them stood Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
After the service, the public was allowed into Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the late monarch. For four days around the clock, mourners can file past Queen Elizabeth’s coffin.
The queen’s state funeral takes place on Monday, Sept. 19. A Committal Service will take place in St George’s Chapel before she is laid to rest next to her husband, Prince Philip.
