Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not joined other senior members of the Royal Family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace since their dramatic departure.
Meghan and Harry haven’t joined senior royals on the balcony since stepping down. (Image: Getty)
The annual Royal Family outing marking the sovereign’s official birthday is one of the most anticipated events on the royal calendar.
However, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been noticeably absent from this eagerly-awaited moment right after Trooping the Colour since their dramatic departure from the Firm in 2020.
While they did attend the traditional parade and flypast marking the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee two years ago, they remained away from the public eye and the balcony.
The pair have been excluded from the popular tradition under a ruling issued by Elizabeth II restricting balcony appearances to working royals only.
However, the late Queen made an exception and allowed a lesser-known, non-working royal to join her and the rest of the family as she celebrated her final official birthday.
The Queen made an exception to the rule by allowing Sir Timothy Laurence to join her (Image: Getty)
Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence was spotted taking in the stunning display alongside the then-Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall as they marked the special occasion.
Sir Timothy is the second husband of Princess Anne, the late Queen’s only daughter, and he often accompanies his royal wife on her numerous engagements in the UK and abroad.
The former naval commander didn’t receive a royal title upon his marriage to Anne in 1992. Her first husband Mark Phillips didn’t receive one either.
The Princess Royal also refused official titles for her children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, when they were born.
Sir Tim has maintained a low profile following his marriage to Anne but he is believed to hold a special place in the Royal Family.
He played a crucial supporting role as Anne escorted her mother’s coffin back to London after she died at Balmoral in September 2022, joining her on her six-hour car ride from Aberdeen to Edinburgh.
Sir Timothy often accompanies Princess Anne on official duties. (Image: Getty)
Sir Tim was also with her on the flight from Scotland to London before he joined senior male members of the Royal Family walking behind the late Queen’s coffin at her funeral.
Over the years, he became a familiar face at Royal Family events including garden parties at Buckingham Palace and the races at Ascot.
Sir Timothy served in the Navy until retirement in 2010 and has since pursued several interests, including cricket.
In April he was appointed Club President of Kent Cricket for 2025. He once served as captain of the school cricket team while a student at New Beacon Prep Sevenoaks School.
He served as chairman of the English Heritage until 2022 and vice chairman of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Sir Timothy met Princess Anne in 1987 while he was serving as an equerry to the late Queen. The Princess Royal was still married to her first husband but confirmed the Palace announced they separated in 1989 before divorcing a few months before her wedding to Sir Tim.
