- The Queen declined Prince Harry's request to take part in November's Remembrance Day ceremony, according to a new report.
- Earlier reports suggested that palace officials refused Harry's request for a wreath to be laid in his name without the Queen's knowledge.
- However, a palace source said, the Queen made the decision herself, taking "all of two seconds" to reject Harry's request.
Well, this is incredibly sad: According to a new report, it was the Queen herself who personally refused Prince Harry's request to take part from afar in the royal family's annual Remembrance Day ceremony, the British day of memorial for those who died at war. Harry, a veteran of the British Army, requested that a wreath be laid in his name at the Cenotaph, the London war memorial at the center of the royal Remembrance Day ceremony. Reports in November suggested that palace officials declined Harry's request without the Queen's knowledge—but according to the Daily Mail, the Queen actually made the call herself, taking "all of two seconds" to reject Harry's request. Which seems pretty harsh to me!
"Remembrance Sunday is sacrosanct when it comes to Her Majesty's diary," a palace source told the paper. "It's one of the most important dates in her calendar and nothing is done without her knowledge." The insider continued, "People were suggesting the Palace's reaction to what Harry asked was petty. But it was the Queen's decision. And what's more, she actually had very strong views on the subject."
"While she has enormous admiration for Harry's achievements both in and out of the military, this was seen as an example of his lack of understanding at what it means for him to be a non-working royal," the source said. "The Queen is very firmly of the opinion that you can't pick and choose what you do when it comes to the institution. Either you are in—or you are out." Again: feels pretty harsh!
In honour of #RemembranceSunday, the Sussexes privately visited the Los Angeles National Cemetery earlier today. The couple laid flowers picked from their garden at the gravesites of two Commonwealth soldiers, one who served in the @AusAirForce and one from the @cdnartillery. pic.twitter.com/h3YbGoOAh1November 8, 2020
Blocked from the royal family's official Remembrance Day ceremony, Harry instead marked the occasion with a quiet, moving visit to the Los Angeles National Cemetery alongside Meghan Markle. The Sussexes laid flowers at the graves of Commonwealth soldiers, Harper's Bazaar reported, and placed a wreath at the cemetery's obelisk.
A plaque on the wreath read, "In Memory of the Men Who Offered Their Lives in Defense of Their Country," while Harry added a personal message, reading, "To all of those who have served, and are serving. Thank you." A source told Harper's Bazaar, "It was important to the duke and duchess to be able to personally recognize Remembrance in their own way, to pay tribute to those who have served and to those who gave their lives."
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