For the third consecutive year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not be present at Trooping the Colour — a ceremony that holds deep traditional significance in the British royal calendar. Scheduled for Saturday, June 14, the event commemorates the sovereign’s official birthday and will go on without the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Their last appearance at Trooping the Colour was back in 2022, during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. Even then, the couple kept a relatively low profile and were not part of the central royal balcony moments. Since then, they’ve remained absent from royal ceremonies in the UK, highlighting how much the dynamic has shifted since their departure from official royal duties in 2020.

Family Strain, Security, and Silence

Prince Harry’s recent legal battle over state-funded security may be one of the many factors reinforcing the current distance. After stepping back from their senior roles, Harry and Meghan lost access to automatic UK police protection. In early May, his latest appeal to reinstate that security was denied by the courts.

In interviews, Harry has expressed both affection for his homeland and regret over not being able to share it with his children. “I love my country. I always have done… I miss parts of the U.K.,” he said in a recent BBC interview, adding that it was “sad” he couldn’t safely bring his family back to visit.

The Sussex children, Archie and Lilibet, have never attended Trooping the Colour. Archie was just a newborn during the couple’s final appearance in 2019, and Lilibet was born in California two years later. Their 2022 visit for the Jubilee marked a rare family trip to the UK — one in which Queen Elizabeth reportedly met her great-granddaughter, named after her childhood nickname, for the first time.

Despite Harry expressing a desire for reconciliation, communication with King Charles remains strained. He revealed in interviews that his father no longer speaks to him, and referred to the fragility of life when asked about the relationship.

King Charles to Attend Amid Health Challenges

As for King Charles, he is expected to participate in the Trooping the Colour parade, riding in a carriage rather than on horseback due to ongoing cancer treatment. The image of a monarch continuing royal duties while managing serious health concerns underscores the importance of tradition — even as the royal family grapples with personal and public challenges.

Meghan Markle, for her part, was set to attend a charitable gala in Los Angeles on the same day, but the event was reportedly canceled amid local protests.

At the Heart of the Matter: A Question of Trust

Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith recently noted that the fracture between Harry and the rest of the royal family is no longer just about logistics or press coverage. “The underlying issue is trust,” she said in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE magazine.

As each royal milestone comes and goes without the Sussexes, it becomes more apparent that healing will take time — and perhaps a deeper shift in understanding from both sides.