Prince Harry reportedly put in a special request to Buckingham Palace in 2020 but was snubbed, unbeknownst to the Queen.
Prince Harry has been famously estranged from his family since 2020. Harry and his wife Meghan Markle left the UK for California in June of 2020, and their relationship with the rest of the Royal family has been almost nonexistent since.
The couple remain living in the USA with their two children Archie and Lillibet and are now focusing on building their own brand.
According to the Sunday Times, there was one snub that Prince Harry was deeply upset by in the winter of 2020, but this escaped the knowledge of the late Queen at the time. The Sussexes had decided to step down from royal duties in 2020, and this was at the height of Covid restrictions. Every November the Royal family takes part in laying wreaths at the cenotaph, but this year Prince Harry could not attend the event due to the strict travel restrictions during the pandemic.
The Sunday Times reported that Harry was very insistent that a wreath of poppies be laid at the cenotaph on remembrance day on his behalf. He is said to have made a personal request for this to Buckingham Palace. It is reported that the courtiers decided to turn his request down because they felt he no longer represented the monarchy. This was quite a blow for the prince, and he was said to be ‘deeply saddened’ by the decision – and what’s more, the Queen never knew about the request or the decision to turn him down.
This was seen as a clear message that his official links to the family had ended. Representatives for Harry and the Palace declined to comment at the time. Remembrance Sunday takes place every year, and it is a tradition that the Royal Family lay wreaths at the cenotaph to pay tribute to all who have died in world wars and other conflicts. King Charles and Prince William did lay wreaths at the ceremony in 2020, with Charles placing one for his mother, who could not attend that year due to a sprained back.
Having served in the military for a decade and doing two tours of duty in Afghanistan, Prince Harry has since become a campaigner for the Invictus Games – a sporting event he launched in 2014 for wounded, sick and injured service men and women. Harry spoke about what Remembrance Sunday means to him on the Declassified podcast: “Remembrance Day for me is a moment for respect and for hope. I wear it [the poppy] to celebrate the bravery and determination of all our veterans.
“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.”
It is still not known if Harry and Meghan and the Royal Family will ever make amends.
