In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry recalled how his sister-in-law the Princess of Wales asked his new wife Meghan Markle what she thought of her first Trooping the Colour in 2018 – and it seems the response was awkward

The Princess of Wales and Duchess of Sussex at Trooping the Colour in 2018(Image: Getty Images)

It’s just days before one of the biggest events in the royal calendar – Trooping the Colour. It sees all the royals out in force for the annual Sovereign’s Birthday Parade followed by them Firm appearing on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

In recent years, spots on the balcony for the RAF flypast have been reserved for working members of the monarchy only – however, this wasn’t always the case. And before quitting as working royals and carving out a new life in the United States, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were regulars at the major event. Meghan’s first appearance was in 2018, just weeks after she tied the knot with Prince Harry in a fairytale ceremony in Windsor Castle.

Harry and Meghan with Charles at Trooping in 2018 (Image: Getty Images)

But in Harry’s controversial memoir, Spare, it was revealed Meghan tried to crack a joke with her sister-in-law Kate, but it led to a “yawning silence”.

At that year’s event, Meghan looked stunning in a baby pink dress and matching hat, standing proudly next to her new husband who was dressed in his military uniform. And while Meghan was seen chatting with Kate, William and Camilla, Harry claims things were far more awkward behind-the-scenes.

Harry claims that once they stepped back inside, Kate asked Meghan what she thought of her first Trooping the Colour and she replied: “Colourful”. Harry writes: “A yawning silence threatened to swallow us all whole”.

The Royal Family at Trooping the Colour last year(Image: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace)

The Sussexes attended Trooping the Colour the following year, but since that they’ve not been on the balcony with the rest of the royals. And it seems Meghan has another important event to go to on the same day of Trooping this year.

It has been revealed she will speak as the guest of honour at a museum’s Night of Wonder in the US, as part of her work championing community wellbeing.

Meghan will be joined by other high-profile guests at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, as the space is transformed into an enchanted nocturnal garden. The event will feature live music and installations representing local ecosystems and the LA landscape, and guests will be treated to a farm-to-table dinner that uses ingredients from the museum’s nature gardens.

The duchess’s mission to advance community wellbeing and uplift young women “dovetails with the museums’ approach to connecting community and science by fostering meaningful educational experiences that empower young minds”, the Office of Prince Harry and Meghan said.

Among the programmes shared on the website of their charity, the Archewell Foundation, is The Welcome Project, where Meghan focuses on addressing “the social isolation recently resettled women experience around the world and building more inclusive and connected communities”.

NHMLAC’s president and director Lori Bettison-Varga said: “We are proud to honour Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, a native Angeleno, whose work to advance community wellbeing and expand opportunity, especially for underserved communities, aligns with our equity-focused approach to developing science literacy for the next generation, including through our Stem and Steam Pathways programmes.”