Prince Harry won’t ‘pull focus’ from the Windsors during Remembrance events

Just days after Prince Harry moved back to the UK with his wife and kids in tow, there was a storyline about whether he hoped or expected to be invited to the Windsors’ Remembrance events in November. They made a big deal about whether Harry, a literal veteran of war, could participate in the wreath-laying at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday. One question I had, which went unanswered, is whether the Sussexes would be invited to the Festival of Remembrance on the Saturday before Remembrance Sunday. The festival is a concert and it’s not really a state occasion. It feels like the Sussexes could be invited on a technicality, except we also know that the palace is bound and determined to snub, humiliate and reject Harry everywhere, at all times, especially in regards to Remembrance. Well, one of Harry’s “friends” has given an update about the Remembrance situation to Hello Magazine. I believe this is probably from an unofficial Team Sussex briefing.

The Duke of Sussex will not take part in any high-profile events to mark Remembrance Day to avoid distracting from official engagements attended by the royal family, HELLO! understands.

Prince Harry, who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan during a decade in the Army, will instead mark the day privately.

“He’s not going to do anything that would pull focus from the Royal Family or the national commemorations at the Cenotaph in London,” says a friend. “More likely, he’ll mark it in the same way that most veterans do, privately, either at church or at their local war memorial’s annual service.”

Speculation has been mounting over how Harry might mark the solemn day this year, having done so publicly on several occasions since his departure from royal life in 2020. A possible visit to the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire has been mooted as an alternative to attending commemorations at the Cenotaph in central London in an unofficial capacity.

But the Duke is said to be keen to avoid any drama that might follow such a public outing for him as the King and Queen lead official events to honour the fallen.

“For Harry, Remembrance Sunday is a deeply personal and important occasion, a time to honour those who have served, remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and stand alongside veterans,” says the friend. “He has no desire to create drama or do anything that could distract from his family’s role in the national commemorations.”

Harry has not taken part in National Remembrance Sunday events since November 2019, shortly before he and Meghan left the UK for a new life in America.

[From Hello]

I’d be interested in knowing if Harry believed that some official Remembrance events would have been a possibility for him, now that his family has returned to the UK. Like, considering his shock over the Lord Chamberlain’s status-clarification letter, I do believe that Harry thought Remembrance Sunday might be on the table for him. But clearly, not so much. It’s not like Harry will suddenly turn up at the Cenotaph and balcony-rush Camilla or anything, but I imagine he’ll do something privately, which the British media will “discover” and publicize and treat like he’s stealing the Windsors’ Remembrance thunder. And I can guarantee that Prince William won’t skip certain Remembrance events this year, like he did last year.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.