Andrew, Harry and Meghan won’t appear on Jubilee balcony

Building work in preparation for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations take place in front of Buckingham Palace in London, Friday, May 6, 2022. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne on the death of her father King George VI on Feb. 6, 1952, and the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend celebrations will take place on June 2-5. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Buckingham Palace has finally answered one of the biggest remaining questions about Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The palace said Friday that Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, won’t be on the palace balcony when the monarch greets the public on June 2.

The balcony appearance is a centerpiece moment of many royal celebrations.

But the build-up to the ceremonies marking Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne has been dogged by questions about whether Andrew, Harry, and Meghan would be at such a public event amid scandals and family tensions.

Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages in January, settled a lawsuit in February with Virginia Giuffre. She had accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.

Although he denied the allegations, the third child of Queen Elizabeth II agreed to pay Giuffre a reported sum worth $15 million.

Harry said he, Meghan, and their two children would travel to the U.K. to join the Jubilee festivities.

Joining the Queen on the balcony will be the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and their children George, Charlotte, and Louis.

The Platinum Jubilee will take place over four days, from June 2 to 5.