Why Meghan Markle Rode Separately From Queen Camilla And Kate Middleton In The Queen's Procession
William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales were reunited with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex again for Queen Elizabeth II's lying in state.
During the procession of the queen's coffin to Westminster Hall, photographers had their cameras zoomed in on the windows of the cars occupied by royalty. Per the Mirror, Queen Consort Camilla and Kate Middleton rode together, with Meghan Markle and Prince Edward's wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, following in a separate vehicle. Meanwhile, Prince William and Prince Harry walked behind their grandmother's coffin with other members of the royal family, including their father King Charles III, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew, and Princess Anne.
Markle and Middleton shared a car with their husbands when they previously reunited for a walkabout outside Windsor Castle, but as a body language expert pointed out to the Daily Mail, the two couples kept their distance from one another after exiting the vehicle and greeting the crowd of people who had gathered to pay their respects to the queen. In 2021, Markle told Oprah Winfrey (via ET) that Middleton made her cry while she was preparing for her royal wedding. While there may be no love lost between the sisters-in-law, their riding arrangements for the procession reportedly had nothing to do with their feelings about each other.
Kate Middleton's flashy reminder of her royal status
According to the Mirror, status came into play when the wives of the male royal family members were preparing to make the drive from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. Camilla Parker Bowles is the wife of the king and Kate Middleton is married to the man who is now first in line to the throne, so the two women were paired up in the lead vehicle. Hello! reported that the royal arrangements were similar for Remembrance Sunday in 2019, with Meghan Markle and Sophie, Countess of Wessex standing on a separate balcony from Middleton.
After Markle gave birth to her first child, Archie, in 2019, Sophie became the first royal to pay her a visit, according to The Times, so perhaps there wasn't too much tension between Markle and her seatmate. In one photo, the two women are pictured looking stoically ahead in profile. Markle has on a pair of understated pearl earrings, which are in stark contrast to the royal jewels that Middleton picked out for the lying in state service. According to Metro, her huge diamond-and-pearl brooch belonged to the queen, while her pearl drop earrings were once the property of Princess Diana. The white jewelry popped against her black clothing, making it draw the eye in photos.
Prince Harry and Markle joined hands when they were reunited at Westminster Hall, the Mirror reported, while William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales avoided physical contact.