Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, was pictured wiping away tears while leaving Westminster Abbey after paying her final respect to Queen Elizabeth more than a week after her passing at the age of 96.
The emotional 41-year-old dabbed at her tears as she stood beside Camilla, the Queen Consort, Kate, Princess of Wales, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, as well as Prince George and Princess Charlotte, shortly after walking behind the Queen's coffin alongside her husband Prince Harry when it was brought into the abbey.
Despite Meghan's reported strained relationship with the royal family, Meghan had regularly spoken about her fondness for the Queen, in particular telling Oprah Winfrey in 2021: "At one of our first engagements together [...] we were in the car going between engagements, and she has a blanket that sits across her knees for warmth, and it was chilly.
“It made me think of my grandmother, she’s always been warm and inviting and really welcoming.”
The long-reigning monarch has been referenced in everything from banned music videos and Beatles songs to Hannah Montana.
Meanwhile, earlier on Monday, Meghan arrived with Prince Harry, Duke Of Sussex, at the ceremony on Monday. She held onto her clutch bag as she walked into the church to say her goodbye to the late grandmother-in-law.
Meghan wore a black cape dress, matching hat, and pearl and diamond earrings given to her by the Queen after she married Harry.
This is the first time Meghan has attended a royal or state funeral. She missed Prince Philip's funeral in 2021 as she was pregnant with her and Harry's second child, Lilibet, at the time.
In the days following the Queen's death on 8 September, Meghan Markle and her husband, Prince Harry – who moved to California and stepped back from their position as senior royals in 2020 – reunited with Prince William and Kate Middleton to attend several official events.
During an emotional group outing to visit with well-wishers on 10 September, one teen girl hugged Markle to show her support for the duchess, telling CNN, "I just wanted to show her that she's welcome here and wanted to hug her after everything that's happened."
Meghan even chose to show her respect for her husband's grandmother by placing her hit Spotify podcast, Archetypes, on hold.
On 12 September, the podcast's "about" page was updated with the message, "New episodes of Archetypes will be paused during the official mourning period for Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II."
Furthermore, the Duchess of Sussex's upcoming cover for Variety's Women in Power issue and gala has been postponed. She will also not be in attendance at the celebratory event on 28 September — nine days after the funeral.
After debuting in August, the release of new episode will be paused during this official mourning period.
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