Prince Harry and Meghan Markle completed their final royal engagement at the Commonwealth Day service on Monday, before they officially step down on March 31.
While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were seen by most members of the royal family ahead of their departure, one senior member is said to have “shunned” the pair.
WATCH: Meghan Markle’s final snub to ‘disrespect’ Queen
Prince Philip stepped down from duties in 2017, after serving the Crown for decades.
The 98-year-old now spends most of his time in Norfolk at Wood Farm on the Queen’s Sandringham Estate.
Although he has not been in the public eye during this traumatic time for the royal family, Philip would have been in the periphery and may have even advised the Queen.
As the Duke himself put aside his own ambitions to serve his wife, giving up his naval role, it is likely he’ll have had a dim view of Harry and Meghan’s decision to ditch their royal roles, and this may have impacted on his decision not to see the couple.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Express.co.uk: “We don’t know if Prince Philip saw Harry and Meghan during their recent visit when the undertook their last official royal duties as senior royals.”
He added: “I strongly doubt that he would have made a special appearance as he has a strong sense of duty and I he would not have endorsed their wish for independence and certainly not the way they handled it.”
Earlier this week it was claimed that Prince Harry has been left full of anguish and regret as he prepares to leave the royal family, while Meghan Markle is said to be thrilled as the couple farewell their roles as she “got what she wanted”.
Speaking to Dan Wootton on the UK’s talkRADIO, royal expert Phil Dampier said it’s clear the couple are split when it comes to their emotions around the event.
“It was looking very difficult for Harry,” he said.
“But Meghan looked very, very relaxed as she has done for the last few days in these last final engagements.
“She looks happy as Larry. I suppose she could be happy because she got what she wants.”
The host then added: “She’s not going to have to sit through many more of these.”
The royal expert continued: “At the moment, I reckon Harry probably was thinking, ‘what have I done?’”
Meghan bowed out of royal life just one year, 10 months and 12 days – or 682 days – after marrying into the family.
The sad details come after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave their fans one final farewell message before they head back to Canada, after completing their remaining royal engagements in the UK.
Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, the Duke and Duchess shared two behind-the-scene snaps of their recent meeting with young leaders from the Queen’s Commonwealth.
“Sharing an outtake from filming last week for @Queens_CommonWealth_Trust (QCT) as The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met with young leaders in their roles as President and Vice President,” the caption read.
The first snap shows Harry and Meghan laughing out loud while chatting with the group, while a follow-up pic shows them lining up to have their photo taken.
The Queen’s Commonwealth trust aims to advocate, finance and connect inspiring young leaders, who are making a difference and shaping the future of the world.
Harry and Meghan organised the meet and greet as one of their final royal engagements, and it’s believed they group chatted about topics such as mental health and equality.
Enthusiastic fans were quick to take to Instagram to comment on the snap, with person writing: “A round of applause for these beautiful humans doing so much good!”
Another person stated: “Your magic will be sorely missed and I hope you find the privacy & happiness you deserve.”
A third person added: “Brilliant yayyyyyy to the best royal couple ever.”
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