Monday, March 9th

Harry, Meghan do their last royal job at Commonwealth event

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press

Britain's Harry and Meghan the Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave after attending the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London, Monday, March 9, 2020. The annual service, organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society, is the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

LONDON (AP) - Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, made their final appearance as senior royals at Westminster Abbey, joining Queen Elizabeth II and other members of Britain's royal family Monday for an annual Commonwealth Day service.

The televised event was expected to be the last time the couple works alongside the entire Windsor clan before Harry and Meghan fly off into self-imposed exile in North America. The pomp-filled observance featured no hand-shaking, apparently because of the new coronavirus.

The service ended the two-month drama that began when the couple announced plans to walk away from their roles as senior members of the royal family and into a world where they will have to earn a living. It's uncharted territory for the House of Windsor, which only has the messy abdication of Edward VIII in 1936 as a guide to the potential pitfalls.

"(The Windsors) have lost a major attraction for the future,'' said Pauline Maclaran, co-author of "Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture."

The Commonwealth service is a major event on the royal calendar, largely because the 93-year-old monarch has embraced the organization for much of her life. She became head of the network of 54 countries in 1952 when she was 26.

Elizabeth has long considered supporting good relations among Commonwealth members to be her own particular political project, said Philip Murphy, the director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the School of Advanced Study at the University of London.

"It's not just what a lot of people would call Imperial nostalgia - a yearning for the good old days of the Raj,'' Murphy said. "The queen has always embraced an evolving Commonwealth and supported the notion of Britain as a multiracial country because it is part of a multiracial Commonwealth.''

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrives to attend the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London, Monday, March 9, 2020. The annual service organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society, is the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

The service departed slightly from plan.

Harry and Meghan were ushered to their seats before the monarch's arrival instead of awaiting the queen and walking through the church with her as they did last year. In a change from the order of service, Prince William and his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, also didn't take part in the traditional procession of the queen, making the outgoing royals' absence less glaring.

The queen gave Harry and Meghan the titles Duke of Sussex and Duchess of Sussex on their wedding day. Starting at the end of this month, the Sussexes will no longer use their royal titles as they pursue a new life of financial freedom in North America.

The couple are expected to earn their keep at least partly through speaking engagements, which can net as much as $400,000 per event for the most sought after speakers such as former U.S. President Barack Obama. They've already had at least one speaking engagement, at a JPMorgan investment conference last month in Florida, but it isn't known whether they were paid or how much.

Among the things they may have to pay for is security after the Canadian government said it wouldn't cover the cost of the couple's security detail once they step back from royal duties.

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Saturday March 7, 2020, to attend the Mountbatten Festival of Music. (Simon Dawson/Pool via AP)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018 file photo, Britain's Prince William, left, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, second left, Meghan Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, right, arrive to attend the Christmas day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in Norfolk, England. Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, are fulfilling their last royal commitment Monday March 9, 2020 when they appear at the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey. It is the last time they will be seen at work with the entire Windsor clan before they fly off into self-imposed exile in North America. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file)

FILE - In this Oct. 31, 2018 file photo, Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex greet members of the public during their visit to Te Papaiouru Marae in Rotorua, New Zealand. Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, are fulfilling their last royal commitment Monday March 9, 2020 when they appear at the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey. It is the last time they will be seen at work with the entire Windsor clan before they fly off into self-imposed exile in North America. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file)

FILE - In this Tuesday, July 10, 2018 file photo, members of the royal family gather on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, with from left, Prince Charles, Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan the Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate the Duchess of Cambridge, as they watch a flypast of Royal Air Force aircraft pass over Buckingham Palace in London. Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, are fulfilling their last royal commitment Monday March 9, 2020 when they appear at the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey. It is the last time they will be seen at work with the entire Windsor clan before they fly off into self-imposed exile in North America. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)

FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019 file photo, Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive at the annual Endeavour Fund Awards in London. Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, are fulfilling their last royal commitment Monday March 9, 2020 when they appear at the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey. It is the last time they will be seen at work with the entire Windsor clan before they fly off into self-imposed exile in North America. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file)

Britain's Harry and Meghan the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London, Monday, March 9, 2020. The annual service, organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society, is the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London Monday March 9, 2020. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family along with various government leaders and guests are attending the annual Commonwealth Day service, the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom.(Ben STANSALL / Pool via AP)

Britain's Prince Harry, centre, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, left, with The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle Dean of Westminster, arrive to attend the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London Monday March 9, 2020. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family along with various government leaders and guests are attending the annual Commonwealth Day service, the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom.(Ben Stansall / Pool via AP)

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London, Monday, March 9, 2020. The annual service organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society, is the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Britain's Prince William and Kate Duchess of Cambridge, front, with Prince Harry and Meghan Duchess of Sussex, behind, attend the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London Monday March 9, 2020. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family along with various government leaders and guests are attending the annual Commonwealth Day service, the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom.(Phil Harris / Pool via AP)

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II leaves after attending the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London, Monday, March 9, 2020. The annual service, organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society, is the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, in the background, leave after attending the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London, Monday, March 9, 2020. The annual service, organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society, is the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, right, attend the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London Monday March 9, 2020. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family along with various government leaders and guests are attending the annual Commonwealth Day service, the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom.(Ben Stansall / Pool via AP)