The last time the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were included in the coveted royal balcony line up at the annual Trooping the Colour, fans spotted a seemingly tense moment between the two – but there’s more than meets the eye

Harry and Meghan’s awkward exchange at the 2019 Trooping the Colour turned heads from royal fans(Image: Getty Images)

The annual Trooping the Colour is set to kick off on Saturday, with members of the royal family and royal fans alike flocking to the Mall to celebrate King Charles ’ birthday. After the Horse Guards Parade and during the RAF flypast, the royal family will appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony, which has famously been the setting for many iconic moments from the royals.

From Prince William being scolded by the late Queen, to Prince Louis stealing the show with his cheeky antics , the balcony appearance is often the most anticipated part of the day. One such instance takes us back to the 2019 Trooping the Colour , which was the last time Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended the annual event.

During Harry and Meghan’s last Trooping appearance, it seems the royal couple had a tense exchange on the Palace balcony(Image: Getty Images)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were joined on the balcony by a host of royals, including the late Queen Elizabeth, the then Prince Charles and Camilla, as well as William, Kate and their three children among others.

When all the royals were waving at adoring fans along the Mall and enjoying the RAF flypast, eagle-eyed fans believed they spotted an awkward exchange between Harry and Meghan, making for a tense environment on the balcony.

Footage shared of the moment on X showed Harry looking inside the room next to the balcony before saying a few words to someone off-camera. Meghan turns her head slightly and mouths something, then faces her husband.

Harry was seen telling Meghan to “turn around” during the balcony appearance(Image: Getty Images)

The couple share a few words and Meghan faces forward. She then turns around once more to face Harry – and it’s at this point it looks like he instructs her to “turn around” – which she then does.

Harry keeps up his stern facial expression while Meghan awkwardly tries to compose herself in front of the camera, which caused fans to speculate they may have had cross words.

However, when the video is played with full sound, the context becomes clear and shows that there was more than meets the eye during the awkward moment.

With the sound playing, the footage shows the moment occurred just a second or so before the National Anthem starts playing, meaning there’s a good chance that Harry was actually just giving Meghan a heads up that the music was about to start playing so she wasn’t caught out looking the wrong way.

It turns out Harry was simply warning Meghan that the national anthem was about to begin playing(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Instead of standing awkwardly after an assumed tense exchange, they are actually just listening to the opening part of God Save the Queen.

While most of the senior working royals are expected to appear on the Palace balcony on Saturday for King Charles’ birthday celebrations, it comes to no surprise that Harry and Meghan will not be attending.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex only attended two Trooping the Colour celebrations before they quit royal life in 2020, making appearances in 2018 and 2019. At the time of the 2018 procession, Meghan and Harry had recently tied the knot at their stunning Windsor Castle wedding ceremony. When they stepped out for the Trooping in 2019, their first child Archie had been born just the month before.

The annual event of Trooping the Colour has marked the official birthday of the King or Queen for more than 260 years. The ceremony involves hundreds of horses and soldiers carrying out complex battlefield drill manoeuvres to military music. More than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together for the impressive display.

Trooping the Colour will take place on Saturday to celebrate King Charles’ birthday(Image: PA)

During the parade, the royals will travel from Buckingham Palace down The Mall to Horse Guards Parade in a procession – either on horseback or in carriages. At Horse Guards, they then watch the military display before joining the procession back to Buckingham Palace once it is over.

After the parade, the royals then gather on the Palace balcony for a march-past and the fly-past by the RAF, which includes the Red Arrows, and will conclude the day’s celebrations.