The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in 2020, marking their final official engagement as senior working royals before stepping back from duties and moving to California.
Just weeks earlier, the couple had announced they were departing the UK and withdrawing from their senior positions within the Royal Family. The annual service, which celebrates the Commonwealth and the King, is attended by many senior royals, including the King and Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Meghan's Final Solo Engagement
On the morning of the service, Meghan undertook her final solo engagement, meeting scholars from across the Commonwealth at Buckingham Palace in her capacity as patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. As the event concluded, she made an emotional farewell to staff and aides.
According to the biography Finding Freedom, released in August 2020, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand described staff bidding farewell. They wrote: "Staff who had been with the couple from day one were mourning the end of what was supposed to be a happy story: two people fall in love, get married, have a baby, serve the Queen, the end. Instead, they were leaving the country."
A staff member recounted Meghan's parting words: "As Meghan gave me a final hug goodbye, she said, 'It didn't have to be this way'."
Tension at the Service
Observers noted palpable tension among the family during the service. In his book Battle of Brothers, royal historian Robert Lacey wrote that while Meghan radiated a "megawatt" smile, Harry appeared sombre. Lacey noted: "Observers also noted that Harry's face was 'quite tense and unsmiling' - and that when William sat down close to him, he barely greeted his brother."
He added: "Throughout the service, Meghan megawatted away with her best TV smile but, as the ceremony progressed, Harry appeared to grow gloomier. According to one observer, 'his accelerated blinking even suggested he might have been fighting back tears.'"
Later that day, after the service, Harry and Meghan departed the UK for Canada, reuniting with their son Archie before eventually settling in California months later.
