keeping up with the royals

Surprise, the Royals Are Being Petty Again

Photo: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

The royal family has been quiet lately. Still, Buckingham Palace found an opportunity to be petty toward ex-senior royals Meghan Markle and Prince Harry this weekend, this time by refusing to let the latter participate in Remembrance Day ceremonies.

Now, this one is pretty rude. The Sunday Times reports that courtiers turned down Prince Harry’s request to have a wreath of poppies laid at Britain’s national war memorial in celebration of the nation’s Veterans Day. Harry, who is now based in California and couldn’t travel due to coronavirus restrictions, served in the British army for a decade and went on two tours in Afghanistan in that time. He also founded the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded, injured, or sick armed services personnel and veterans.

However, palace staff rebuffed him on the grounds that he no longer represents the royal family (the Times notes that the queen didn’t know about his request). At the services, wreaths were laid by other members of his family, including Prince Charles and Prince William. To make matters worse, the Sun reports that the big poppy wreath was already made and cost $1,300.

So, like any celebrity who is having family problems, Harry went on a podcast, joining Declassified on Sunday with other veterans. Although he didn’t address his family’s latest snub, he talked about his experiences as a soldier, and how he laid flowers picked from his Montecito garden at the Los Angeles National Cemetery instead.

Surprise, the Royals Are Being Petty Again