Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended the premiere of the Bob Marley biopic “One Love” during their recent trip to Jamaica. Video footage shows the couple being escorted to their assigned seats, which were located several rows back from the front.
As reported by GB news, The video shows Harry and Meghan walking down the theater aisle behind an usher. Harry looks serious as he walks just behind his wife. Meghan is holding up the full skirt of her floor-length black gown as she walks. She briefly pauses and nods as the usher indicates their row.
Their seats end up being a noticeable distance back from the stage, despite their status as high-profile guests. As Meghan takes her seat, she smiles politely at the person sitting next to her. Harry remains standing for a moment, looking down at the other seats in their row, before taking his own seat next to Meghan.
Later footage shows Harry abruptly getting back up and walking briskly back up the aisle as Meghan turns to chat with their row mate. It’s unclear why he departed so suddenly. Meghan continues conversing with a gentle smile as her husband exits.
The positioning of their seats and Harry’s odd exit have sparked speculation that the couple was deliberately given non-VIP seats. Some reports suggest they may have shown up without an invitation and protocol required they be seated in available spots, not the front row.
However, as members of the royal family, protocol would still dictate Harry and Meghan be given priority seating befitting their status. It’s highly unlikely they would be placed so far back with no good reason.
One explanation could be that the theater was arranged with priority seating assigned to key figures directly involved in the film, as well as high-ranking Jamaican dignitaries. As Harry and Meghan were not part of the production, they may have been placed in the next available high-profile row behind the VIPs.
There is also a chance their seating placement was simply an oversight by planners not versed in royal protocol. Regardless, they took their assigned seats gracefully and appeared to make the best of the situation.
The premiere footage is the latest to gain attention amidst Harry and Meghan’s ongoing rift with the British royal family. Their surprise Jamaica trip coincided with King Charles’ first tour there as monarch, threatening to overshadow the King’s visit.
Some reports suggest the timing and high-profile appearances in Jamaica may indicate Harry is still bitter about not being named governor-general of Jamaica when the role became vacant last year. As Charles’ son, Harry would once have been the natural choice.
The seating incident may therefore feed into a narrative that the royal family is still finding ways to slight Harry and Meghan in response to their stepping back from official duties. However, others argue the ex-royals should expect they can no longer demand top billing after abandoning their senior royal roles.
As speculation abounds, no official explanation has been given for why Harry and Meghan were not placed in the premiere’s front row beside the film’s stars and Jamaican dignitaries. Their tense faces and awkward reactions suggest that, for whatever reason, they were not expecting to be seated in the second tier of guests.
