The Sussexes made a public appearance at the thanksgiving service held at St Paul’s Cathedral on 2 June 2022, to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Everyone expected them to be booed and jeered, and of course it happened. Some media channels chose to ignore it, while others admitted it (you can’t really deny it) and said it was a mix of boos and cheers. Boris Johnson gets booed all of the time and he takes it on the chin, and Harry and the wife are no strangers to being booed either, so why they were surprised is beyond me.
TW was booed before the wedding, mainly because she ignored protocol with zero humility, and with an arrogance that did not endear her to the public. Manners and protocols matter, and she has no manners and zero respect for protocols either. They were booed after the wedding when they visited Sussex, and in Ireland too when they were on tour. They were not liked back in 2018, and several years later after attacking the UK and the RF, it is of no surprise that their popularity has plummeted.
Personal video clips from those in the crowds have been shared on social media, and they clearly show booing above the peals of the bells. The jeers show that Harry and the wife are not much loved members of the RF, but are much loathed and despised exiled members of the RF. Yes Harry, that’s the sound of disapproval and disgust from the public, who are entitled to make their views known. The police and protections officers can’t protect you or TW from the public opinion or free speech.
There was further disrespect shown by the duo who held hands as they walked to their seats, and when William and Kate arrived, TW deliberately turned her head the other way. You only had to look at the disdain on the faces of the other guests in the church when TW and Harry arrived to have an inkling of how unpopular their appearance was.
The order of precedence was tweaked and adjusted so that Charles, William, and Anne could avoid any direct contact with the Sussexes. Those who claim there are no tensions between Harry and the rest of the RF must be rather dim not to have noticed the subtle amendments to the seating arrangements. They were seated between Jack and Eugenie, and Lady Sarah Chatto, and although onlookers may say that the cousins and their spouses have no beef with Harry, being civil in public doesn’t mean you necessarily like or approve of someone.
The appearance was for a photo opportunity to enter and leave the cathedral, and who knows if there were any recording devices on either of them as there was an odd shaped rectangle bulge under TW’s left breast.
Upon entering, there were cheers because people didn’t know who was arriving as you can only see their backs. Once they spotted the ginger bald head, they knew it was the Sussexes and the boos began after they were identified. The bells drowned out both on some media footage, or a clever tech person highlighted the bells instead. The sugary Sky channel admitted there was booing and cheering, and stated that it was expected because they were controversial. That was a polite way of saying they are publicly despised. Other media outlets just recorded things as they transpired as it should be if you want to have a honest reflection of the event.
The exit made for interesting viewing as the duo left with no one to speak to, and there was that awkward silent moment at the top of the steps as they waited for the car to arrive with other members of the family. TW clung to Harry with her usual affected grimace, as Peter Phillips politely ignored her, while everyone looked around hoping that their car would hurry up. Zara spoke to Harry, but it seemed to be more of a ‘You’re not coming to lunch?’ so they would need a separate car. This was so different from their interactions with the Earl of Snowdon (David Armstrong-Jones) who appeared after the duo had departed, where they embraced him with cheerful laughs and affectionate banter.
Lunch was at the Guildhall, and seemed to be for all the guests who had attended the service as it appeared to be a buffet style which offered no photo ops for the duo. That and probably few people would want to speak to them as well. The walk down the steps to the car was not as Harry expected. As they were now identifiable, the booing was heard en masse and no one could deny it. Harry’s face said it all as he held his head down in shame. TW held a plastic grin on her face, and they had waved briefly as they entered but didn’t bother on the way out. There was no point, and Harry scrambled to get in the car to make a quick exit. That, Harry lad, is what the majority of the sane world thinks of you—that is called reality and no amount of paid PR can do anything about public opinion. It isn’t racist or bullying, it is called the honest truth. You reap what you sow, and a title and the police can’t protect you from public loathing.
It is heartening to see the Queen’s other grandchildren enjoying the celebrations with other members of the family—the duo will not ruin the event for them. However, do they honestly know how the public at large feel, or even realise how much damage the appearance of the duo has done to the monarchy? For every boo, there were probably a thousand boos from those who could not be there (or couldn’t be bothered), and there are those who wanted to boo, but remained silent out of respect. Harry, and TW—it seems loathing you is Universal.
