LONDON (AP) / DANICA KIRKA - Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle make their last appearance as senior members of British royalty on Monday, accompanying Queen Elizabeth II at the annual Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey.
The televised event marks the last time they work alongside the entire Windsor clan before leaving for North America for a self-imposed exile. The separation will be marked by the protocol: Enrique and Megan will be escorted to their seats instead of waiting for the arrival of the monarch and walking through the church with her like the other members of her family.
The service will also end a two-month drama that began when the couple announced their plans to give up their roles as an integral part of the royal family and enter a world where they will have to make a living for themselves. It is an unexplored territory for the House of Windsor, which has the tangled abdication of Edward VIII in 1936 as a guide for potential inconveniences.
"(The Windsor) have lost a great attraction for the future," said Pauline Maclaran, co-author of "Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture."
The Commonwealth service is an important event on the real calendar, largely because the 93-year-old queen has supported the organization for most of her life. She became head of the network of 54 countries when she was just 26 years old in 1952, and has always considered supporting good relations between her members as her own particular political project, said Philip Murphy, director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the Faculty of Advanced Studies at the University of London.
"It's not just what many people would call imperial nostalgia - a longing for the good old days of the Raj," said Murphy. "The queen has always embraced an evolving Commonwealth and has supported the idea of Britain as a multiracial country because it is part of a multiracial Commonwealth. ”
The decision to leave the couple out of the Queen's Procession at such an important time for her serves as a moving reminder of the impending separation. The procession will include Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, among others.
Last year, Enrique and Meghan waited for the queen to arrive with Guillermo, Kate, Carlos and Camila before taking a seat. This year, they will arrive after the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
Since the end of this month, the Sussex will no longer use their royal titles and seek to have a new life of financial freedom in North America.
The couple is expected to stay at least partially through talks and conferences, which can give up to $ 400,000 per event to the most sought-after speakers such as former US President Barack Obama. The couple already had at least one commitment at a JPMorgan conference last month in Florida, but it is not known whether they were paid or how much.
Among other things that they will have to pay is their security, as the Canadian government said it will not cover this couple's expense once the couple withdraws from their real duties.
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