Prince Harry will skip national Remembrance Day events at London’s Cenotaph after his move back to Britain, with a source saying he wants no drama.
The Duke of Sussex, a former British military pilot, is not joining the official Remembrance Sunday commemorations led by the royal family. A source close to the situation said he will most likely mark the day the way most veterans do, privately, at church or a local war memorial service.
Page Six reported the account after Harry and Meghan Markle relocated to the United Kingdom last month with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
King Charles III and Prince William are expected to attend the annual National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London. The royal family customarily leads the nation that day with solemn ceremonies, poppy wreaths, and a two-minute silence for service members who died in war.
The source close to the situation told Hello! that Harry will stay clear of anything that shifts attention away from the national rites.
The source said:
"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 same source added that the Duke of Sussex “has no desire to create drama or do anything that could distract from his family’s role in the national commemorations.” For Harry, the source said, 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.”
Harry served in the British military for 10 years, from 2005 to 2015. He last took part in the official national Remembrance Sunday commemorations alongside the royal family in November 2019. After that, he and Markle, the “Suits” alum, resigned from their royal duties and built a separate public life away from working-royals obligations.
Author Russell Myers has said the monarch and his eldest son are “completely united on the Sussexes not representing the royal family” and “without a doubt... in sync” on that point. Myers conveyed that William, 44, believes Charles’s personal connection to Harry is “entirely up to him,” while the Prince of Wales will “have no relationship with them, in a working or private capacity whatsoever.”
William and Kate Middleton remain estranged from Harry and Markle under that reported stance. Charles, who is currently battling cancer, has spoken to Harry since the duke moved back to England. Page Six had previously reported that Harry wanted to be closer to his father. Harry has not publicly detailed the reason for the family’s UK return, and he has made only a few public outings since the move.
Markle has yet to fully break cover in Britain. Last week she was photographed chatting with Ellen DeGeneres at a pub; Page Six obtained the images. DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, had left California for the UK.
None of that changes the basic arrangement on Remembrance weekend. Charles and William are set to stand with the national ceremony. Harry, by his camp’s account, will not.
Harry’s military service is real, and private remembrance by veterans is honorable. Official Cenotaph duty belongs to the working crown and the country, not to relatives who left the job and still draw a crowd.
