The royal family, honored guests, all of the United Kingdom and the rest of the world said goodbye to Queen Elizabeth on Monday. After a long mourning period, her coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault of St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. The day was emotional and several guests were crying, including Meghan Markle.
Harry and Meghan – who have been in the UK since the Queen’s death – went out of their way to be discreet at the late monarch’s funeral. Meghan wiped the tears from her face, although not everyone believes the gesture is as real as it seems.
Television host Karl Stefanovic – known for harboring a strong dislike for Meghan – claimed that pictures of Meghan wiping her tears could be misleading.
In recent years, Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the British royal family has deteriorated. But at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, the couple reunited with the other members of the royal family to show a united front.
Harry & Meghan Markle at Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral
Harry walked behind the coffin alongside his brother William as the Queen’s funeral procession passed through the streets of London yesterday.
He did not wear a military uniform to Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral, as he was stripped of his military titles when he stepped down as a working member of the Royal Family in 2020. At a vigil held by the late monarch’s eight grandchildren, Harry was allowed to wear his military uniform by his father, King Charles.
Meghan Markle is said to have honored the Queen in a beautiful way during the state funeral. She is said to have worn the earrings with pearls and diamonds that the Queen gave her during their engagement together in 2018.
It has been a mourning tradition within the royal family since the time of Queen Victoria to wear pearls.
In the infamous 2021 Oprah interview, Meghan spoke heartily about the Queen and how she had treated her during their engagement.
“The Queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me. I mean, we had one of our first dates together,” Meghan said at the time.
“She asked me to go with her, and I went by train. And we had breakfast together that morning and she gave me a beautiful present and I just really enjoyed being in her company, and I know we were in the car – yes, she gave me a pair of beautiful pearl earrings and a matching necklace – and we sat together in the car between appointments.”
Did Meghan Markle Break a Royal Tradition?
Meghan added: “And she has a blanket over her knees for warmth and it was chilly and she said Meghan come on and put the blanket over my knees too.”
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle both followed royal protocol with their attire. However, many royal fans reacted to the fact that Meghan seemed to be breaking a certain royal tradition. It is said to be tradition – although not mandatory – for the royal women to wear a mourning veil. Kate, Camilla – the Queen Consort – and Princess Sophie were some of the women who wore such a veil, along with the traditional black hat.
However, Meghan Markle and the young Princess Charlotte decided not to wear the veil.
Last Wednesday, Queen Elizabeth’s coffin was transported from Buckingham Palace as she left her official home for the last time.
The journey to Westminster Hall passed Queen’s Gardens, The Mall, Horse Guards and Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square and New Palace Yard, with tens of thousands of people paying tribute to her along the way.
The Queen’s Last Voyage
The procession – which, according to The Guardian, was literally decades in the making – saw the queen’s coffin placed on a gun-carriage and pulled through the center of the capital. The coach, The George Gun, was also used for the ceremonies when the Queen Mother and King George VI – Her Majesty’s parents – died.
King Charles walked behind the coffin alongside William and Harry, as did the Queen’s other children, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Princess Anne. Meanwhile, the Queen Consort, Kate Middleton, Sophie and Meghan Markle traveled by car.
Hundreds of thousands of people were allowed to say goodbye to the queen for the last time. Westminster Hall was open 24 hours a day. Not everyone in line could see the queen, however, because of how she lay in state.
The BBC reported that access to the back of the line would be closed early to ensure anyone already waiting would have a chance to walk past the Queen’s casket.
Among the well-known royals who attended the funeral were King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan, and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.
Meghan Markle cries at funeral – and gets criticized
King Charles fought back tears when his mother’s coffin was lowered into the royal vault, but he wasn’t the only one crying. Meghan Markle also wiped tears from her face after the state funeral, with the makeup showing on one of her black gloves.
Meghan was pictured with William and Kate’s two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as they waited for their car after the state funeral. At one point, Charlotte turned and saw Meghan’s gaze, who looked down and gave the young princess a beautiful, reassuring smile.
As mentioned, several members of the royal family wept as they bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth. But apparently Meghan’s tears really upset a television personality.
The coverage of the program Today The Queen’s funeral was led by presenter Karl Stefanovic, who decided to poke fun at Meghan after photos of her crying were published.
“We don’t know if it was real or not”
He said they were open to interpretation, meaning photos of Meghan wiping tears from her face may have been misleading.
“There are a lot of photos in circulation and interpretations of photos that may or may not be real,” Stefanovic said.
“There’s a few with Meghan, er, with a tear running down her face – apparently – and even one of Princess Charlotte that everyone said she was crying, and we just don’t know if it was real or not.”
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