Reportedly, the Queen was unaware of Prince Harry's request.
This year, Remembrance Sunday was led by the Queen herself. She was joined by her family and the Prime Minister, as the rest of the people of the UK paid their respect privately from their homes due to the pandemic.
As wreaths were laid down at the Cenotaph in London's Whitehall by Prince Charles, Prince William, and the PM, among others, followed by a two-minute silence, the absence of the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, was not missed. Turns out, that the Duke did want his presence to be registered at the walk even though he could not be there personally, but his request was reportedly refused by the palace.
Prince Harry wanted to pay his respects to the servicemen and women who laid down their lives for the country by laying down a wreath of poppies at the national memorial, but it wasn't accepted. According to The Sunday Times, his request was refused because he's not a part of the royal family anymore. Prince Harry's representative as well as the Buckingham Palace reps had no comments to offer on the matter.
According to People, the refusal by the palace to lay a wreath from Harry's side at the ceremony is a sign of the rift between the royal members. Reportedly, the queen wasn't aware of her grandson's request, as per The Sun. The 36-year-old war hero, who served in the military for 10 years and has been an active participant in promoting causes for veterans including the Invictus Game was pretty upset about the whole ordeal.
Even though he stepped down from his royal duties in March along with his wife Meghan Markle, the Prince had hopes of resuming some of his roles in the military. The denial of his request dealt a huge blow and presented a question mark over his future in the civil services as well.
Since March, the Duke and the Duchess have been living in California but had plans to be present at the Remembrance Sunday. However, their travel plans were affected by the coronavirus. So, the couple decided to lay flowers in their own way in L.A. as a respect to the fallen.
Prince Harry also took part in a podcast, Declassified, with other veterans where he spoke about what the uniform meant to him. On the podcast that was released on Saturday, speaking about the tradition of wearing a poppy as a tribute to the ultimate sacrifice of the veterans, he said, "Remembrance Day for me is a moment for respect and for hope."
He added that he does it for "the soldiers I knew, as well as those I didn't. The soldiers who were by my side in Afghanistan, those who had their lives changed forever, and those that didn't come home.”
He continued, “I wear [poppy] to celebrate the bravery and determination of all our veterans, and their loved ones, especially those in our Invictus family. These are the people and moments I remember when I salute, when I stand at attention and when I lay a wreath at the Cenotaph."
The Duke also spoke about how his 10-year service in the military helped him grow as a person and that he wants his 1-year-old son, Archie, to grow up instilled with the same values. During his service, the Duke undertook two tours to Afghanistan as well.
He said, “Service is what happens in the quiet and in the chaos. It's what happens in the darkness, it’s what happens when people aren't looking. It’s what happens on and off the battlefield. It's about carrying out our duty as soldiers.” He further added, “For me as a father, a husband and as a human being, it’s about how we uphold these values in every aspect of our lives.”
According to Cosmopolitan, the reported clash between the royal brothers began when Prince William showed his concern about Prince Harry and Meghan getting close really fast. In a new promo for TLC's Kate v. Meghan: Princesses at War?, royal expert Katie Nicholl explained, "William was quite concerned that the relationship had moved so quickly, and being close to Harry, probably the only person close enough to say to Harry, 'This seems to be moving quickly, are you sure?'"
"I think what was meant as well intended brotherly advice just riled Harry. Harry is hugely protective of Meghan. He saw that as criticism. He interpreted that as his brother not really being behind this marriage, this union, and I don't think things have been quite right ever since," she added.
References:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/prince-harrys-plea-to-lay-cenotaph-wreath-denied-t2wtght2m
https://people.com/royals/prince-harry-request-have-wreath-laid-remembrance-day-turned-down/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13142794/prince-harry-meghan-remembrance-sunday-la/
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a26135546/prince-william-prince-harry-feud-advice/
