The Queen left Buckingham Palace for the last time early today, to make her final journey along crowd-lined streets of London to Westminster Hall. There Britain's longest-serving monarch is lying in state for the world to mourn. Video / Supplied
Reunited with the royals publicly for the first time since she suggested her mere existence had "upset the hierarchy", the Duchess of Sussex paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II by wearing jewellery given to her by the late monarch.
Meghan, 41, wore the elegant pair of pearl and diamond drop earrings that had been given to her by her husband's late grandmother when they undertook their first joint solo engagement in June 2018, just a month after she married Prince Harry.
The pair travelled on the royal train to Cheshire, where they met with community leaders and watched a performance by local schoolchildren.
A lot has happened since then, and Wednesday's participation in the royal procession that followed Queen Elizabeth's casket into Westminster Hall is the first time the Sussexes have taken such a prominent role in a major royal event since they stepped down from public duties in January 2020.
Although they attended the Platinum Jubilee thanksgiving service for the Queen at St Paul's Cathedral in June as "non-working" members of the family, they were not invited to take part in the royal procession.
While Harry, 37, joined his brother, the Prince of Wales, to follow the casket on foot from Buckingham Palace, Meghan, 41, travelled by car with the Countess of Wessex. Her sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales travelled with the Queen Consort, who was wearing her own poignant piece of jewellery - a distinctive stick insect-shaped silver brooch that she has worn to memorial services before.
Prince Harry, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales leave Westminster Hall. Photo / AP
Like Meghan, Kate was also wearing jewellery associated with Queen Elizabeth - a diamond and pearl leaf brooch given to her by the late monarch after her 2011 marriage to Prince William.
She also wore a pair of pearl drop earrings that belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales.
Staring straight ahead, there was little show of emotion from Harry and Meghan until they proceeded out of Westminster Hall at the end of the poignant 30-minute service, holding hands in a break from protocol.
Much has been made of the ongoing rift between the royal brothers and their wives - although a truce appeared to have been called after the Prince of Wales invited Harry and Meghan to join him and Kate on a walkabout in Windsor on Saturday afternoon.
The quartet, once known as the fab four, spent 40 minutes inspecting the floral tributes and meeting well-wishers in a move some have interpreted as paving the road to reconciliation.
It came after Meghan gave a 6500-word interview to The Cut magazine last month in which she claimed that "just by existing" she and Harry "were upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy", as well as suggesting her husband had "lost" his father in the Megxit process.
She also spoke of her relief at being "able to tell [my] own story", before issuing what some interpreted as a message to the royals - warning she is free to "say anything" and that it is taking "a lot of effort" to forgive them and her estranged family.
Yet bar a deleted tweet by their self-styled unofficial spokesman, the couple appear to be keeping a low profile while in the UK.
On Tuesday, Omid Scobie, who wrote the hagiography Finding Freedom, removed a photograph he had posted on the social media site "captured before the Queen's coffin was received at the Grand Entrance" of Buckingham Palace giving a "glimpse" of "King Charles, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex". It was taken down following accusations of mawkish puffery on behalf of the couple.
In the face of yet more criticism that they are "cashing in" on their royal status, the Sussexes are understood to have delayed publication of Harry's memoir until next year. Meanwhile, Meghan has put her Archetypes podcast on hold, as well as cancelling a planned appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a prime time US chat show.
Earlier this week, Oprah Winfrey was criticised for saying she hopes that "burying the dead" will help the couple finally make "peace" with the royals. Many have pointed out that their explosive interview with the chat show host 18 months ago was the catalyst for the family's falling out.
