The Duke and Duchess of Sussex came under fire from royal admirers for holding hands as they left a service commemorating Queen Elizabeth II.
Members of the royal family accompanied the Queen’s casket on Wednesday, less than a week after her passing, as it was transported from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where she will lie in state until her burial on September 19.
The royal family attended a 20-minute liturgy at Westminster Hall before leaving and being led away from the property.
Videos of the service were posted on the Royal Family’s official YouTube channel.
However, after the service, several detractors started criticising Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for leaving the event holding hands.
“Except for Harry and Meghan, who must hold hands like two juvenile lovers, the Royal Family departs Westminster Hall with dignity and grace. They definitely irritate me “a member of social media wrote.
one more said: “They can’t hold their hands at their sides for the Queen’s funeral for two seconds (as if Meghan would care)? Although predictable given how consistently they disrespect the Queen and tradition.”
Later, other social media users defended the couple by pointing out that other royal family members have engaged in such displays of affection. Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall and her husband, Mike Tindall, were seen in photos holding hands during the service.
In April 2021, when Prince Philip was laid to rest, Princess Beatrice was photographed leaving the burial with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
A request for response from Insider was not immediately answered by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s representatives.
Despite doing several of the same activities as Prince William and Kate Middleton during their trip in 2014, the couple encountered criticism from the media during their visit to New York City in September 2021, according to Samantha Grindell of Insider.
Despite it being a typical practise, Prince Harry and Markle received criticism for wearing black at the 9/11 museum in New York City, whereas Middleton received acclaim for donning a vibrant pink coat on her previous trip. Middleton was “fighting off the dismal weather” with her outfit, according to The Daily Mail.
The Carlyle Hotel was a favourite of Princess Diana, as The Daily Mail noted in its headline, “Kate lands with a bump: Pregnant Duchess arrives at New York hotel as royal couple touch down in the Big Apple.” Prince William and Middleton were also praised by The Daily Mail for choosing to stay there while on their trip.
The article stated: “Royal pair leave the kids in LA to enjoy drinks at fancy bar inside their $1,300 per night Carlyle Hotel to kick-start three-day visit to NYC” while Prince Harry and Markle stayed at the same hotel during their trip.
Prince Harry and Markle are frequently criticised for engaging in similar activities to those of their royal contemporaries, partly because of Markle’s race, according to a previous investigation by Insider’s Mikhaila Friel. The media may be concentrating on Markle because she doesn’t resemble the other members of the nobility, according to royal authority Kristen Meinzer.
She informed Friel, “Unlike them, she’s an American, a self-made lady, and black. She has a history of working hard and speaking up about the kinds of human rights that most of them are reluctant to touch for fear of being “controversial,” in contrast to most of them.