Prince William's Last-Minute Cancellation at Memorial Shows How Valuable Harry Was for the Palace

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Prince William’s last-minute cancellation from King Constantine of Greece’s memorial service on Tuesday put a hot spotlight on the royal family yet again. The Prince of Wales was expected to do a reading honoring the life of his godfather, but 46 minutes before it was set to begin, he bailed. William has a lot going on right now with wife Kate Middleton recovering from abdominal surgery, so his absence due to a “personal matter” is understandable. But the lack of suitable replacements is showing how valuable Prince Harry was to the palace when there wasn’t a family feud.

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As the Daily Mail put it, the lack of William’s presence “did little to calm the air of jitteriness swirling around our ever-dwindling Royal Family.” Instead, it caused rumors to heat up regarding Kate’s whereabouts and ignited questions on how King Charles III plans to effectively rule while undergoing cancer treatment — no one seems to want to step up and work. The media outlet also noted that royalists are now “deeply conscious that an increasingly heavy burden rests on the shoulders of William and his wife, not to mention their young family.” There is no Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to help shoulder the weight — it’s a reminder of what could have been had the palace addressed the concerns of the Sussexes years ago.

Queen Camilla and Princess Anne attended the memorial, but so did Prince Andrew. He was described as looking “delighted as he strode forwards to lead the family group down from the castle to church on foot.” Is the royal family sure that they want the Duke of York leading the way here? This is the same man who paid out millions (OK, his mom did) in a sexual abuse case tied to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Even though Andrew was only at the memorial “at the invitation of Crown Prince Pavlos, Constantine’s son, and widow, Queen Anne Marie,” why was he walking at the front of the line like he was a senior royal? The optics were blinding.

The royal family’s current “fragility” ties back to Harry and Meghan’s exit and what Tina Brown referred to in her book, The Palace Papers, as a “charisma vacancy.” The palace underestimated Harry and Meghan’s global appeal when they exited their working royal roles. The British tabloids may not like the couple, but outside the U.K., their popularity continues to shine — and their power in how they represented a modern monarchy was misjudged. So as the royal family trudges ahead looking “perilously small and fragile,” it’s a reminder of how things could have been different.

Before you go, click here to see more of Meghan Markle & Prince Harry’s milestones since leaving the royal family.

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