Opinion: Prince Harry just got a taste of what he has given up

Prince Harry just got a taste of what he has given up. Photo / Getty Images

OPINION:

There would surely have been a time when being shunted from the front row would have left Harry and Meghan smarting. Well, Meghan at least. Rightly or wrongly I've always assumed that, whereas the Duchess' Garbo-esque "I want to be alone" act is just that, Harry is probably genuinely happy to be relegated to a second-tier royal. Either way, the Sussexes' low-key return could not be faulted.

For starters, they did not make themselves conspicuous by their absence but did the right, respectful thing by accepting the Queen's invitation to join the family for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The California-based couple also managed not to gripe or snipe about prior royal misdemeanours to some US-based TV host in the days or hours leading up to the celebration which, given their dirty laundry airing track record, was quite a feat. And given rumours Meghan had complained about the "musty" smell of St George's Chapel before their wedding, we should also be thankful that she didn't whip out a can of air freshener in the middle of last Friday's thanksgiving ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral and start spritzing the congregation down with Febreze Botanical Breeze.

While Meghan was all smiles, Harry looked "fed up" at St Paul's Cathedral. Photo / Getty Images

As for royal experts claiming Harry was clearly finding life as a "second-row royal" "difficult to swallow", that "he looked fed up" walking into St Paul's and that the couple were "clearly absolutely furious", this felt more than a little like projection. Granted, the scattering of boos from members of the public outside upon their arrival can't have been pleasant, but with an event as meticulously choreographed as this one it seems unlikely the couple won't have been made aware of seating plans in advance, and I know that the prince is close to the fellow "non-working royals" – Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands, Edo and Jack – he was seated alongside.

No, for once this occasionally delusional pair seemed to understand that this wasn't about them, and it was diplomatic of them to avoid both the reception at The Guildhall afterwards and any Netflix-style drama that could have been conjured up by the most fleeting of expressions or gestures caught on camera.

Indeed, if one word could sum up this momentous past weekend it was the sense of "togetherness" Prince Charles spoke of at the Big Jubilee Lunch in The Oval. According to one guest, Sarah Friar, CEO of neighbourhood app Nextdoor, the Prince commented: "When it comes to Monday are we going to go back to all the bickering again? Let's hope we don't do that." He could have been talking about the country as a whole, of course, but Meghan and Harry should nevertheless take note.

The Sussexes had better get used to life out of the spotlight but, at the Jubilee, they seemed to understand that this wasn't about them. Photo / Getty Images

They played their new "second-tier Sussexes" roles seamlessly, they proved they could do it, and although the reality may take some getting used to I'm quite sure that having their eye on a bigger prize in a bigger country will make it easier.