Harry and Meghan will join royals at Commonwealth Day service - but Andrew won't
Prince Harry and Meghan will join the Queen and other members of the royal family at the Commonwealth Day service - but Prince Andrew will not be there.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will both be back in the UK for the annual service celebrating the commonwealth, to be held at Westminster Abbey on 9 March.
But, in line with him stepping back from royal duties, Prince Andrew won’t attend.
The Duke of York announced he would not be carrying out royal duties for the foreseeable future in November, after a disastrous interview on BBC Newsnight over his association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
His lack of attendance at the Commonwealth Day service draws into speculation whether he will attend future occasions like Trooping the Colour in the summer.
The Commonwealth Day service is likely to be the last official royal duty carried out by Meghan and Harry before they step back from life as working royals.
They will join the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the service.
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Prince Harry arrived back in the UK last week to host a working summit for his travel project Travelyst in Edinburgh, and then dropped in on a recording session with Jon Bon Jovi, for the Invictus Games song.
Meghan will join the prince in London on 5 March for the Endeavour Awards, and she will also take on an engagement to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March.
But it appears that the Commonwealth Day service on 9 March will be the last thing they do in the UK. They stop being working royals from 31 March.
The annual ceremony is attended by about 2,000 people and highlights the work of the global network of 54 countries which make up the commonwealth.
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Anthony Joshua is due to speak at the service this year, and there will be performances from Craig David and Alexandra Burke.
The theme for 2020 is ‘‘Delivering A Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming” and there will be an emphasis on youth, environment and trade.
Guests of honour among the 2,000-strong congregation will include Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Commonwealth secretary-general Baroness Scotland, high commissioners, ambassadors, faith leaders and more than 800 schoolchildren and young people.
The Queen and the royal family will meet people involved in the service and walk past the Commonwealth flag bearers as they leave.
The service will be broadcast live on BBC One and the BBC World Service on Monday afternoon.
Prince Harry and Meghan sparked a royal crisis when they announced in January that they wanted to step back from their roles as senior members of the family.
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Their plan to maintain their duty to the queen while making their own money was not feasible, and they have agreed to stop all royal duties while they seek financial independence.
They will still be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but have opted not to use their HRH styling and will also not use the brand name ‘Sussex Royal’.
There will be a review after 12 months, between the palace and the couple. The Sussexes are understood to be preparing to be spending most of their time in North America from April.
