Kate joins the Queen as Meghan remains on separate balcony for Remembrance service

The Queen was joined by several members of the royal family, including her granddaughters-in-law Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, to mark Remembrance Sunday at the weekend.

The women directly in line to the throne, the Duchess of Cambridge and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, stood beside the monarch on one balcony, while the Duchess of Sussex joined Sophie, Countess of Wessex, on a separate balcony to watch the memorial service in London.

Kate, 37, and Meghan, 38, were both dressed in head-to-toe black with a poppy broach on their lapels.

Why Meghan and Kate stood separately

The placing of Prince William and Prince Harry’s wives on separate balconies is due to royal protocol.

Since there is not enough room for all family members to stand on a single balcony, the Queen was joined by the two future Queen Consorts.

This meant that Meghan and Sophie – who is married to the Queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward – stood with each other on another balcony.

The Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex watched proceedings from ground-level.

They laid wreaths during the memorial, along with their father Prince Charles as well as Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Princess Anne.

“The balconies overlooking Whitehall occupied by the Royal Family are very small,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliam told the Sun Online, after last year’s event, during which Meghan stood with Elke Büdenbender, the wife of the German president.

“The Queen was without Prince Philip who has retired and the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge are future Queen Consorts.”

On Saturday, the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex joined the Queen and other senior members of the royal family at the Festival of Remembrance.

This weekend is the first time the couples have been seen together since Harry and Meghan addressed the pressures of being in the public eye.

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