Prince Harry and Meghan leave Britain, Stage West

LONDON With smiles and glances back, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, took part in their latest engagement Monday, honoring the British Commonwealth at Westminster Abbey, before setting off for one from its border outposts, western Canada and a new uncertain life. like semi-royals.

The choice of the place of the last appearance of the couple was loaded with symbols of the life that Harry leaves behind: this is where Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1953; where his brother, Prince William, married in 2011; and where 30 kings and queens are buried, dating back to King Edward the Confessor in 1066.

Harry has attended a series of appearances in recent days, including a recording session of Abbey Road with rock star Jon Bon Jovi and a travel conference at Edinburgh in which he said to the participants, just call me Harry. Meghan made a surprise visit to a classroom in London on Friday to mark International Women's Day.

But as of March 31, the couple will no longer be a full-time member of the Windsor House. They are expected to return soon to Canada, where they left their son, Archie, in the care of a family friend.

As Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles entered the vaulted ceiling of the abbeys, the familiar pomp was tinged with sadness over the departure of Harry and Meghans, a traumatic decision that almost ruined the family, plunging it into the greatest crisis. since the death of Harry's mother, Princess Diana. , in 1997.

The couple took place behind Prince William and his wife, Kate. But the brothers did not exchange words at the start of the service. Meghan curtsied and smiled as the queen made her way to her chair.

This is a pretty important moment, said Valentine Low, royal correspondent for The London Times. This means that just because you're in the royal family doesn't mean you have to stay in the royal family.

Buckingham Palace sparked potential embarrassment when officials backtracked on a plan to give William and Kate a place in the Queen's motorcade while sending Harry and Meghan straight to their seats. The two couples ended up jumping the procession.

The service order, as the palace planning document is known, was distributed to the royal press corps before being finalized, according to palace officials. While there is a precedent for senior family members not to be in the procession, some royal observers have considered it a revealing moment.

If nothing else, for Harry and Meghan, the glitch served to point out the distance between their electrifying couple debut in late 2016 and the disorderly dissolution of their relationship with the Windsor house.

The couples' leave was a melancholy coda for a two-month drama that began in early January when they unexpectedly announced a plan to step back from their official duties, move in for some of the 39 years in North America and seek financial independence.

The news, communicated via their Instagram account, caught Buckingham Palace off guard, although it came after a period of deepening internal dissension on the part of Harry and Meghan and clear public signs that the prince, and in especially his wife, were unhappy and dissatisfied. their lives in the royal family.

This sparked a tense negotiation between Prince Harry, Charles and Diana's second son, and the Queen over the terms of their departure from royal working status. After an extraordinary family conclave at the Queens country residence, the Queen offered the couple what amounted to severance pay.

The couple agreed not to use their most exclusive titles, Son Altesse Royale and Son Altesse Royale; at forgo most of the public funding of their lifestyle; and to reimburse more than $ 3 million in public funds for the renovation of their official residence, Frogmore Cottage, on the grounds of Windsor Castle.