Prince Harry Says He Felt 'Distant from My Family' at Final Commonwealth Service: 'Looked Cold, Felt Cold'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex discuss their final week as senior working royals in the second part of their Netflix series, released Thursday

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 9, 2020 in London, England.
Photo: Phil Harris - WPA Pool/Getty

Prince Harry has revealed that the public chill on display during his final Commonwealth service appearance with Meghan Markle was also felt under the surface.

In episode five of Harry & Meghan, now streaming on Netflix, the Duke of Sussex, 38, revisited the "farewell week" he and wife Meghan Markle had in England in March 2020 after it was confirmed they would be stepping back from their senior royal roles. Harry said the stay was a "whirlwind" as they packed back-to-back engagements into a few short days.

The week wrapped with the most visible engagement of all — reuniting with the rest of the royal family for the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. It was Harry and Meghan's last official outing before moving to North America, and their first public reunion with Queen Elizabeth, then-Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Edward, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex since they announced they were stepping back as working royals.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 9, 2020 in London, England.
Phil Harris - WPA Pool/Getty

"The first time that we saw the other members of the family was in public at Westminster Abbey," Meghan recalled.

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"We were nervous seeing the family because all the TV cameras and everybody watching at home and everybody watching in the audience. It's like living through a soap opera where everybody else views you as entertainment," Harry said.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 9, 2020 in London, England.
Phil Harris - WPA Pool/Getty

"I felt really distant from the rest of my family, which was interesting because so much of how they operate is about what it looks like, rather than what it feels like," he continued. "And it looked cold. But it also felt cold."

Harry and Meghan sat behind the Prince and Princess of Wales, both 40, at the church service, and next to the Earl and Countess of Wessex. As William and Kate took their seats in the front row, Meghan gave a little wave as she and Harry smiled and said hello to the couple.

Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L), Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (2nd L), Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (3rd L), Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (3rd R), Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (2nd R) and Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (R) follow Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and The Dean of Westminster, David Hoyle as they depart Westminster Abbey after attending the annual Commonwealth Service in London on March 9, 2020. - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has been the Head of the Commonwealth throughout her reign. Organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society, the Service is the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom.
PHIL HARRIS/POOL/AFP via Getty

"They are on different paths now," a source previously said of the two couples. "It's just the reality of the situation."

After the event, which highlights the global network of 54 countries that comprise the Commonwealth, Meghan recalled the feeling of finality.

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"We had left Westminster Abbey, and then that was it," she said. "Of course it was emotional."

Volumes one and two Harry & Meghan are now streaming on Netflix.

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