I was feet away from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at their first joint royal event in 2 years. Here's what it was like behind-the-scenes.

• I was at an event with Prince Harry and his wife.

• The royals were seen by hundreds of people and members of the press.

• There was a mixed response from the crowd.

I witnessed the behind-the-scenes mania when the Duke and the duchess made their first public appearance together.

The couple attended the Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral in London on Friday in honor of the Queen's 70th birthday. Senior royals and British politicians paid tribute to Her Majesty while she was unable to attend.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles got married in 1981 at St. Paul's, which is a cathedral and visitor attraction. The crowds I saw on Friday were unlike anything I've seen before.

Hundreds of people were already gathered outside the cathedral when I arrived around an hour and thirty minutes before the service was to start. The entrance had been closed and royal fans were standing at the barriers waving flags and taking pictures.

As the attendees began to arrive, it became difficult to see the people taking pictures in the air. The reporters were in the middle of the crowd.

I could only tell it was Boris Johnson when he arrived because it was so crowded. The people standing in front of me heard the loud boos and confirmed that Johnson had arrived.

I was able to get a video when Harry andMeghan came.

—Mikhaila Friel (@MikhailaFriel) June 3, 2022

Similar to the other royals who attended the event, Harry andMeghan were welcomed by loud cheers. I later learned that the couple was booed when they left.

Photos from the service were made public. I wanted to know if there would be pictures of Harry andMeghan with William and Kate. Harry and William have been rumored to be in a rift for a long time, and they previously avoided speaking with one another at the final royal engagement before their step back in 2020.

There was no interaction between the two couples at the event. Kate and William sat in the first row with Charles and Camilla.

The seating arrangements could have been planned.

"If there was a normal circumstance, they would have sat next to them by precedence," he said.

This event is not about William and Harry, it's about the queen. I think there was a concerted effort to make sure that they weren't sitting next to each other, with people making all sorts of comments and speculation.

It made sense for Charles and the Cambridges to sit in the front row as he is representing the Queen.

Buckingham Palace did not reply to Insider's request.

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