The Queen is bestowing a very special honour on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The monarch is extending an olive branch to the couple.

The Queen is bestowing a special honour on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The monarch is extending an olive branch to the couple.

Rumours of an embittered family feud have plagued the royal household since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's decision to step down from their roles as senior working royals and relocate to Montecito, California.

With relations significantly worsening after the couple's explosive tell-all Oprah interview earlier this year, in which they frankly discussed everything from racism to mental health, it's common knowledge that Harry and Meghan are yet to introduce their newborn daughter, Lilibet Diana, to the wider Royal Family.

Now, amid enduring allegations of a so-called 'royal rift', it's been reported that the Queen is extending an olive branch to Harry and Meghan, in the form of a special Platinum Jubilee medal that will mark her 70 years on the throne.

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Her Majesty will award the medals to a number of her relatives, including those who no longer or have never undertaken official engagements on her behalf. Included in the list, as per The Express, are Harry and Meghan, Prince Andrew (who is currently embroiled in a civil lawsuit in the US), and his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

"A wide number of members of the Royal Family will receive the Platinum Jubilee medal in line with the previous two jubilees," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson is reported to have told the publication. Indeed, Harry and Meghan's inclusion on the list is likely, with the Queen's grandson having also received her Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals in 2002 and 2012.

It was announced last week that the Queen has some pretty epic plans in store for next year's landmark jubilee, including a four-night party with a star-studded guest list, and, perhaps more excitingly, an extra public Bank Holiday.

Questions have been raised, however, about the extent to which Harry will be involved in the celebrations, given that Her Majesty's jubilee is likely to coincide with the release of his much-anticipated memoir.

Harry’s book, for which a title is yet to be announced, will reportedly cover everything from his childhood, through to his years in the army and his eventual move away from royal life, with the prince commenting via his publisher, Penguin Random House, "I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become."

The Royal Family are believed to be less than pleased about the memoir, and have yet to comment on its release beyond issuing a frosty statement which read, "Any clarification about the book would be a question for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex."

But the Queen's special gesture, coupled with recent rumours of Harry and Meghan returning to the UK for Christmas, suggest icy relations between the Sussexes and 'The Firm' may finally be easing.

Here's hoping we get to see little Lilibet meeting her extended family soon!

Kate McCusker

Kate McCusker is a freelance writer at Marie Claire UK, having joined the team in 2019. She studied fashion journalism at Central Saint Martins, and her byline has also appeared in Dezeen, British Vogue, The Times and woman&home. In no particular order, her big loves are: design, good fiction, bad reality shows and the risible interiors of celebrity houses.