Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are set to publicly reunite with Prince William and Kate Middleton, Fox News has learned.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will join the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall for Commonwealth Day on Monday, March 9, Buckingham Palace confirmed. The British royals will be at Westminster Abbey for the annual service.
“The Commonwealth represents a global network of 54 countries, including the Maldives who re-joined earlier this year,” the palace shared in an official statement. “Working in collaboration towards shared economic, environmental, social and democratic goals, the Service seeks to highlight a vast community which spans every geographical region, religion and culture, embracing diversity amongst its population of 2.4 billion people, of which 60 percent are under 30 years old.”
The two couples attended last year’s service when Markle, 38, was in her third trimester of pregnancy.
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Elizabeth, 93, was 26 years old when she became Head of the Commonwealth in 1952, the palace shared.
“This is an important symbolic and unifying role,” they added.
Harry, 35, had already returned to the U.K. for several events last week, including an eco-tourism summit in Scotland, as well as a visit to Abbey Road Studios where he joined musician Jon Bon Jovi for a recording session to benefit the Invictus Games, the prince’s patronage.
The outlet shared the American actress will be joining her husband later this week after spending more than a month on Vancouver Island in Canada. The couple, as well as their son Archie, have been living there since announcing their decision to step back as senior members of the royal family. They have said they intend on splitting their time between North America and the U.K.
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Before the reunion, Markle and Harry will attend the Endeavor Fund Awards on March 5, as well as the Mountbatten Music Festival on March 7. Harry will also attend the Silverstone Experience with Lewis Hamilton on March 6. As for the former “Suits” star, she will be participating in events to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8.
Meanwhile, William and Kate will be taking an official trip to Ireland from March 3-5.
Numerous sources have long insisted tensions started brewing between the brothers when Harry revealed he wanted to marry Markle after less than a year of dating. When William cautioned Harry that the whirlwind romance was moving too quickly, Harry reportedly became angry and hurt.
William dated Middleton, his college sweetheart, for about eight years before tying the knot in 2011.
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Harry hinted at the ongoing rift between him and his older brother in the ITV documentary “Harry & Meghan: An African Journey,” which aired in October 2019.
“Inevitably stuff happens,” explained the British royal. “But we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. We’re certainly on different paths at the moment. I’ll always be there for him and as I know, he’ll always be there for me. We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy, but I love him dearly."
“The majority of stuff is created out of nothing,” added Harry. “As brothers, we have good days and we have bad days.”
In January, the brothers formed a united front to deny a report that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s behavior played a role in Harry and Markle’s decision to “step back” from their royal duties.
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In a statement on behalf of both princes released by the palace, the brothers denied reports from a U.K. newspaper that Harry and Markle felt pushed out of the royal family by William and Middleton.
In a statement confirmed by Fox News, the brothers said: “Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between the Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge. For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful.”
The rebuke came in response to a story published by The Times that stated that Harry and Markle came to their historic decision to step back from their royal duties and become financially independent from the crown after two years of being “bullied” and “told their place” by William, Middleton and other senior royals.
Markle and Harry previously shared that their announcement to step back came “after many months of reflection and internal discussions.”
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"We have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution," the couple shared on their Jan. 8 Instagram post. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.
"We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honor our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages," they continued. "This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity."
The couple added they will continue to work with the reigning monarch, as well as Charles and William.
"We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support."
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They will keep their royal titles.