AceShowbiz - Harry and Meghan Markle will once again be absent from this year’s Trooping the Colour ceremony, The Mirror reports. This marks the third consecutive year the couple has not received an invitation to the traditional event celebrating the British sovereign’s official birthday.

Foxnews also detailed that only senior working members of the royal family are invited to Trooping the Colour, excluding those who have stepped back from official royal duties. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who announced their decision to step back as senior royals in 2020, remain outside the circle of active participants. King Charles III will participate by riding in a carriage alongside Queen Camilla due to his health and age, while Prince William will ride horseback alongside Princess Anne and Prince Edward. Additionally, Kate Middleton and her three children are set to travel in a carriage and join the royal balcony appearance.

Harry and Meghan’s absence follows a period of strained relations with the royal family, intensified by Harry’s 2023 memoir that revealed personal and sensitive family details. The Mirror noted that King Charles III has not responded to efforts from Harry to reconcile through letters and phone calls. Meanwhile, Meghan was scheduled to attend an event at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County on the same day as Trooping the Colour, but this was postponed due to immigration protests.

Harry is best known for stepping back from royal duties in 2020 and relocating to California with Meghan, citing intrusive media coverage and a lack of palace support. The couple has since been active in public engagements abroad, including a recent visit to New York City for their first public appearance since the birth of their daughter Lilibet Diana in June.

This exclusion from such a high-profile royal event underscores the continuing divide between the Sussexes and the senior working members of the British royal family. As Trooping the Colour remains a ceremony reserved for those currently serving the crown, Harry and Meghan’s ongoing absence highlights the formal boundaries set by the palace amid unresolved tensions.

This article is based on reporting originally published by Mirror.