Prince Harry, Meghan Markle 'Terribly Received' In UK During Platinum Jubilee, Royal Expert Says

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were "terribly received" in the U.K. when they returned to his home country earlier this month, but a British journalist thinks that wasn't entirely undeserved.

Royal correspondent, writer and commentator Jonathan Sacerdoti spoke with Us Weekly's Christina Garibaldi about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's recent visit to the U.K. with their children Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee.

When asked if he thinks the couple believed their trip to be a success or failure, Sacerdoti said that he could only speculate as he has never been in a position like theirs. But he suggested that if they had read coverage of themselves before and after the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, they "will have perhaps been doomscrolling."

"They were pretty terribly received here, and I don't think that was entirely undeserved," Sacerdoti told Garibaldi. "However, I think that they did more or less conduct themselves as best as they possibly could here."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were met with a mix of boos and cheers when they attended the National Service of Thanksgiving in honor of Queen Elizabeth at St. Paul's Cathedral in London on June 3 in what was their first royal outing since stepping down from their working royal roles in 2020.

Sacerdoti said he believes participating in the Jubilee festivities was always going to be "tricky" for the couple.

"[It was] sort of damned if they did and damned if they didn't," he continued. "They did keep a low profile, whether it was by choice or whether that was imposed on them by the royal family. ... They got on with what they were meant to do as members of the family celebrating Her Majesty the Queen, and I think that's as much as we could have hoped for."

Sacerdoti noted that there was criticism surrounding the couple's trip "partly out of allegiance" to either the Sussexes or the royal family.

He pointed out Prince Harry and Markle's decision to leave the U.K. before the Jubilee events wrapped up as an example, with some opinions saying they were "disrespectful" while others said they left quietly during a moment when they wouldn't be covered too noticeably in order to respect the importance of the occasion.

Royal biographer Christopher Andersen also recently weighed in on Prince Harry and Markle's participation in the Jubilee festivities.

The "Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan" author told Us Weekly that he "was personally surprised" that the couple was "excluded" from the royals' palace balcony appearance during Trooping the Colour on June 2 and suggested that palace officials "sidelined" them.

Buckingham Palace announced weeks before the Jubilee weekend that Queen Elizabeth was limiting the appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony to royals "who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen."

However, Andersen told the outlet, "I thought that there would be an opportunity for [Harry] to show up there to show the solidarity [and] the future of the monarchy. … I'm sure they expected to have a warmer welcome than what they received."