Queen Elizabeth invites Harry and Meghan to key royal events next year

Queen Elizabeth has extended invitations to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to attend key royal events in 2022, according to reports. It is understood Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been invited to attend the Queen's Platinum Jubilee next year as well as Trooping the Colour.

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations will mark an extraordinary 70 years on the throne by Her Majesty who became monarch upon her father King George VI's death in 1952. Trooping the Colour, the annual celebration of the Queen's birthday, is expected to return in full force next year after being scaled back for the past two due to the coronavirus pandemic.

While the invitations have reportedly been extended to the pair, it isn't known how visible they will be at the celebrations, in particular Trooping the Colour that traditionally sees senior royals gather on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the colourful fly over by the RAF.

A source told Mail on Sunday: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been invited and I'm sure the Queen is very much looking forward to seeing them there.

The balcony moment will be decided much nearer the time but there's a limit to how many family members should be on it, and I would have thought that working Royals who contribute to the family would be higher on the list than the Sussexes."

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It has been reported Queen Elizabeth is keen to act as peacemaker between Harry and Meghan and senior royals, in particular Harry and his brother Prince William, who have reportedly fallen out since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex resigned as senior working members of the British royal family in 2020.

They now reside in the US with their children Archie, two, and Lilibet, three-weeks.

William, 39, has also reportedly felt distressed at public allegations Harry and Meghan have levelled at the family, including the airing of a disagreement between Meghan and the Duchess of Cambridge ahead of the royal wedding in 2018 as well as claims of neglect and racism during the couple's tell-all Oprah interview in March 2021.

Prince Harry has arrived in the UK to attend the unveiling of a statue of his mother, Princess Diana, on July 1 which would have been her 60th birthday.

The statue was commissioned by the brothers and will be placed in her favourite spot in Kensington Palace gardens known as the Sunken Garden, or the White Garden. It has been reported the brothers have asked to give separate speeches at the event which will also be attended by Diana's family, including her brother Earl Spencer.

Queen Elizabeth was spotted heading to Frogmore Cottage, where Prince Harry is staying during his time in the UK, most likely to calm the waters ahead of the event.