The annual military parade, on June 15, marks King Charles III’s official birthday celebration
For the second year in a row, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry haven’t been invited to the Trooping the Colour later this month.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be absent from the military procession this year as they were in 2023 following King Charles III’s coronation, People magazine confirmed.
Trooping the Colour is an annual parade that has marked the sitting monarch’s official birthday celebration for more than 260 years.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were last part of the parade in 2019, a year after their wedding, and last attended it in 2022, when they flew back to London for Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebration.
The queen died three months later, and while Prince Harry attended his father’s coronation in May of last year (without the duchess), they missed Trooping the Colour just a month later.
Charles rode horseback for his first Trooping the Colour as monarch in 2023 alongside Prince William, while Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton waved to the crowds from a carriage.
This year, the Princess of Wales, who is the colonel-in-chief of the Irish Guards, will not take the traditional salute at the Colonel’s review, which is part of the parade due to her treatment for cancer, which she revealed in March.
Kinsey Schofield, host of the “To Di For Daily” podcast, told Fox News Digital last week that the mother of three will likely not attend the parade.
“King Charles and Prince William have repeatedly stressed to the Princess of Wales that she should feel no pressure to return to public duty until she is ready,” Schofield said.
Although the princess could appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the parade.
Christopher Andersen, author of “The King: The Life of Charles III,” told Fox News Digital that an appearance on the balcony would be reassuring to the public.
“The Princess of Wales knows better than anyone what message it would send if she were absent, so I think she’ll make that gesture if it’s at all possible,” said Andersen. “Unfortunately, at the moment. It appears that she may not be physically up to the challenge. Whether Kate appears or doesn’t, that is bound to be an emotionally charged moment for everyone. … She’s soldiering on, making the best of it.”
Charles, who is also undergoing treatment for cancer, plans to ride in a horsedrawn carriage this year instead of on horseback, according to People.