Prince Harry will not join the royal family at official Remembrance Day events this year, despite relocating back to the United Kingdom last month. A source close to the situation told Hello! that the Duke of Sussex has “no desire to create drama” or pull attention away from the national commemorations.
“He’s not going to do anything that would pull focus from the Royal Family or the national commemorations at the Cenotaph in London,” the insider said.
Harry served in the British military for ten years, from 2005 to 2015. According to the source, he will most likely mark the occasion privately, “either at church or at their local war memorial’s annual service,” the same way most veterans do.
“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,” the source said.
The source added that Harry “has no desire to create drama or do anything that could distract from his family’s role in the national commemorations.”
Each Remembrance Day, the royal family leads the nation in honoring fallen service members, laying poppy wreaths at the Cenotaph and joining veterans and political leaders for a two-minute silence. King Charles III and Prince William are both expected to attend this year’s National Service of Remembrance in London.
Harry last stood with the royal family at the official Remembrance Sunday ceremony in November 2019, shortly before he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from royal duties.
Harry and Markle moved back to the UK last month with their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5. Harry has not publicly explained the move, though it has previously been reported he wanted to be closer to his father, who is being treated for cancer.
King Charles and Prince William are reportedly “completely united” on the position that the Sussexes will not represent the royal family, according to author Russell Myers, who described the two as “in sync” on the matter. Charles has spoken with Harry since the move, but William and his wife, Kate Middleton, remain estranged from the couple. Myers said William believes any relationship between Charles and Harry is “entirely up to him,” while William himself will reportedly “have no relationship with them, in a working or private capacity whatsoever.”
Since returning to Britain, Harry has made a handful of public appearances, while Markle has largely stayed out of view. Last week, photos surfaced of her chatting with Ellen DeGeneres at a pub. DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, also relocated to the UK from California.
