Duke and Duchess of Sussex return to US

Britain's Prince Harry, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Zara Tindall leave after attending the National Service of Thanksgiving held at St Paul's Cathedral during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in London, Britain, June 3, 2022. Daniel Leal/Pool via REUTERS

Britain's Prince Harry, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Zara Tindall leave after attending the National Service of Thanksgiving held at St Paul's Cathedral during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in London, Britain, June 3, 2022. Daniel Leal/Pool via REUTERS

Published Jun 6, 2022

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have returned to California.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan flew into the UK last week with their children, Archie, 3, and 12-month-old Lilibet, for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

But they reportedly boarded a plane out of Farnborough Airport at 1.30pm on Sunday afternoon, an hour before the spectacular Platinum Pageant started in central London.

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The family were seen arriving back in California at about 6pm, with equipment including a high chair being offloaded from the plane. Harry was then photographed in the passenger seat of a black Range Rover being driven back to their Montecito home.

A source told the MailOnline: “There was no fanfare, they just went. They didn’t stick around for the Platinum Jubilee pageant, which is a celebration of Britain and all of its quirks and eccentricities over the Queen’s 70-year reign.”

Harry and Meghan, who stepped down as senior royals two years ago, attended the Thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday and on Thursday they were spotted through a window at the Major General’s Office during Trooping the Colour.

Unlike the offspring of the prince’s brother, Prince William, and his cousins including Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall, Harry’s children were not seen at all during their brief visit.

They are believed to have invited some family to their Frogmore Cottage base in Windsor on Saturday for a “relaxed” party to mark their daughter’s first birthday.

Later in the day, they are said to have joined Queen Elizabeth to watch the Platinum Party at the Palace concert on television.

While Harry and Meghan had left the UK before the pageant, a number of senior royals were in attendance for the star-studded show, including the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The Queen also made an appearance from the balcony at Buckingham Palace, where she was seen smiling and waving to the crowds.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth along with members of the Royal Family watches the special flypast by Britain’s RAF (Royal Air Force) from Buckingham Palace balcony following the Trooping the Colour parade as part of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, in London, Britain, on June 2, 2022. Paul Grover/Pool via REUTERS

The 96-year-old monarch was joined on the balcony by Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and their three children – Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4.

The Queen, who only made a relatively brief appearance in front of the crowds, was unable to appear at events on Friday and Saturday after experiencing mobility problems over recent months.