Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie will be missing his supposed royal debut that all his cousins had in the past. This is after Buckingham Palace has announced that the annual Queen's Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Harry and Meghan have officially stepped down as senior members of the royal family but they are still expected to attend some of the monarch's important events such as Queen Elizabeth II's birthday. The Queen's actual birthday is on April 21 but it is officially celebrated in June and a parade is held annually in her honor.
At this event, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, is expected to make his royal debut like his cousins. Over the years, Prince William and Kate Middleton's children-Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and Prince Louis,one-made their royal debut during the Trooping the Colour.
It can be recalled that last year, Prince Louis caught the attention of everyone when he appeared along with the Queen, his parents and siblings, and other members of the royal family from the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
This year, many are expected to take a glimpse of Archie, who was last seen by the public during Harry and Meghan's trip to Africa in September 2019. The 10-month-old toddler is currently living in California with his parents. The family initially lived in Canada after Harry and Meghan announced their plan to give up their titles and live away from the palace walls.
The Sussexes are expected to attend Harry's grandmother's 94th birthday celebration. However, Queen Elizabeth II has already canceled all her engagements for the foreseeable future including the Trooping the Colour parade due to COVID-19 and U.K.'s lockdown. The 93-year-old monarch left Buckingham Palace in London and moved to Windsor Castle last week as the coronavirus continues to spread in the country.
"In line with Government advice, it has been agreed that The Queen's Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, will not go ahead in its traditional form... A number of other options are being considered, in line with relevant guidance," a palace spokesman said in a statement.
The announcement came after the Queen's heir to the throne, Prince Charles, tested positive for coronavirus. The 71-year-old father-of-two was the first British royal to test positive for coronavirus last week.
Apparently, the Prince of Wales displayed mild symptoms of the disease and has been doing well despite the diagnosis. New reports indicated that Archie's grandfather has been out of isolation and in good health after contracting coronavirus. However, his wife, Camilla, continues to self-isolate as she still needs to see if she will develop symptoms.
