Prince William ‘made a dig’ at Harry and Meghan during defiant speech at huge royal event

Prince William seemed to take aim at his younger brother Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle as he delivered a powerful speech at a historic royal event last year.

William, the heir to the throne, was the only member of the Royal Family to speak at King Charles’s Coronation Concert, held on the grounds of Windsor Castle. In his speech, which came one day after Charles was crowned at Westminster Abbey, William recognised his father’s decades of service and commitment to others.

“Pa, we are all so proud of you,” said William, who attended the concert with his wife Princess Kate, and their two oldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. As my Grandmother said when she was crowned, coronations are a declaration of our hopes for the future. And I know she’s up there, fondly keeping an eye on us. She would be a proud mother.”

He continued: “For all that celebrations are magnificent, at the heart of the pageantry is a simple message. Service. My father’s first words on entering Westminster Abbey yesterday were a pledge of service. It was a pledge to continue to serve.” A number of people took to Twitter after hearing William’s words at the time – with many believing it was a definite dig at Harry and Meghan.

One viewer said: “Service Harry. Do you hear that? Not a free ride.” “SERVICE. Something Harry doesn’t understand,” added another. When the Sussexes controversially decided to quit life as working royals, Buckingham Palace released a statement about them stepping away from their duties.

It read: “Following conversations with the Duke, the Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the Royal Family it is not possible to continue with responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.” But Harry and Meghan hit back by issuing their own statement, which read: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”