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Harry and Meghan will join royals at Commonwealth Day service - but Andrew won't

(L-R) Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London on March 11, 2019. - 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. (Photo by Richard Pohle / POOL / AFP)        (Photo credit should read RICHARD POHLE/AFP/Getty Images)
The Cambridges and the Sussexes will be reunited on 9 March. (Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan will join the Queen and other members of the royal family at the Commonwealth Day service - but Prince Andrew will not be there.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will both be back in the UK for the annual service celebrating the commonwealth, to be held at Westminster Abbey on 9 March.

But, in line with him stepping back from royal duties, Prince Andrew won’t attend.

The Duke of York announced he would not be carrying out royal duties for the foreseeable future in November, after a disastrous interview on BBC Newsnight over his association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11:   Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Queen Elizabeth II depart the Commonwealth Service on Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey on March 11, 2019 in London, England. The Commonwealth represents 53 countries and almost 2.4 billion people and 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the modern Commonwealth, enabling cooperation towards social, political and economic development. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Prince Andrew attended the ceremony in 2019. (Getty Images)

His lack of attendance at the Commonwealth Day service draws into speculation whether he will attend future occasions like Trooping the Colour in the summer.

The Commonwealth Day service is likely to be the last official royal duty carried out by Meghan and Harry before they step back from life as working royals.

They will join the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the service.

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Prince Harry arrived back in the UK last week to host a working summit for his travel project Travelyst in Edinburgh, and then dropped in on a recording session with Jon Bon Jovi, for the Invictus Games song.

Meghan will join the prince in London on 5 March for the Endeavour Awards, and she will also take on an engagement to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 07: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Endeavour Fund awards at Drapers Hall on February 07, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Harry and Meghan at the 2019 Endeavour Awards. (Getty Images)

But it appears that the Commonwealth Day service on 9 March will be the last thing they do in the UK. They stop being working royals from 31 March.

The annual ceremony is attended by about 2,000 people and highlights the work of the global network of 54 countries which make up the commonwealth.

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Anthony Joshua is due to speak at the service this year, and there will be performances from Craig David and Alexandra Burke.

The theme for 2020 is ‘‘Delivering A Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming” and there will be an emphasis on youth, environment and trade.

Guests of honour among the 2,000-strong congregation will include Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Commonwealth secretary-general Baroness Scotland, high commissioners, ambassadors, faith leaders and more than 800 schoolchildren and young people.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11:  Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall attend the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 11, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Charles and Camilla will be at the service with the Queen. (Getty Images)

The Queen and the royal family will meet people involved in the service and walk past the Commonwealth flag bearers as they leave.

The service will be broadcast live on BBC One and the BBC World Service on Monday afternoon.

Prince Harry and Meghan sparked a royal crisis when they announced in January that they wanted to step back from their roles as senior members of the family.

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LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Queen Elizabeth II attends the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbe6 on March 11, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Queen Elizabeth at the Commonwealth Day service in 2019. (Getty Images)

Their plan to maintain their duty to the queen while making their own money was not feasible, and they have agreed to stop all royal duties while they seek financial independence.

They will still be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but have opted not to use their HRH styling and will also not use the brand name ‘Sussex Royal’.

There will be a review after 12 months, between the palace and the couple. The Sussexes are understood to be preparing to be spending most of their time in North America from April.