The Queen and Prince Harry face ‘awkward showdown’ over Remembrance Day plans

Prince Harry’s strained relationship with the royal family has suffered yet another blow, as Buckingham Palace refuses his request to join, from afar, in the royal family’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony. 

According to The Sunday Times, the Duke of Sussex was denied permission for a wreath to be laid at the Cenotaph on his behalf. 

The newspaper reports that the request was denied because “he is no longer representing the monarchy”. 

It was reported that Prince Harry, a British Army veteran who served for 10 years, was “deeply saddened” by the decision, a “sign that his official links to the royal family are permanently severed”. 

Officials have said that the Queen had no knowledge of the decision to reject Prince Harry’s request, but it has also been alleged that Her Majesty had personally refused the Prince’s request. 

Another source says “ 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.”

Despite this, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wore commemorative poppy pins and privately visited the Los Angeles National Cemetery on Remembrance Sunday, to honour those who died in the line of duty. 

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/h3YbGoOAh1

— Omid Scobie (@scobie) November 8, 2020

Harper’s Bazaar meanwhile reports that the couple also placed a wreath on the cemetery’s obelisk with a plaque that read, “ In Memory of the Men Who Offered Their Lives in Defense of Their Country.”

An insider had told the glossy magazine: “It was important to the duke and duchess to be able to personally recognise Remembrance Day in their own way, to pay tribute to those who have served and to those who gave their lives.”

Many individuals across the veteran community worldwide are infuriated by the Palace’s decision to turn down Prince Harry’s request. 

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/h3YbGoOAh1

— Omid Scobie (@scobie) November 8, 2020

Royal watchers are predicting that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Harry’s first encounter in light of the Remembrance Day snub, will be an awkward one.