Harry and Meghan officially end their royal duties

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's farewell tour has come to an end.

Harry and Meghan on Monday made what's expected to be their last appearance as senior royals ahead of their planned step back, The Associated Press reports. Harry and Meghan, alongside other members of the British royal family including Queen Elizabeth II, attended Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.

Last week, Harry and Meghan made their first official joint appearance since they announced in January that they would "step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family," attending the Endeavour Fund Awards in London. Meghan over the weekend also met with students in London to commemorate International Women's Day. During these final appearances, Harry and Meghan have been "greeted by cheering crowds," NBC News reports.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

AP reports that this year's Commonwealth Day event was a departure from 2019's, as "Harry and Meghan were ushered to their seats before the monarch's arrival instead of awaiting the queen and walking through the church with her as they did last year."

The New York Times also notes that some "awkwardness" was almost created with the original plan of having Prince William and Kate Middleton participate in the queen's procession but not Harry and Meghan; ultimately, "both couples ended up skipping the procession," the Times reports. Harry and Meghan sat behind William and Kate, the Times also says, and "the brothers did not exchange words as the service began."

Harry and Meghan are set to officially step back as senior royals on March 31. With no more scheduled appearances after today's event, Newsweek reports the two are expected to now head to Canada.