The Queen reportedly made the decision to ban Prince Harry from laying a wreath at the Centopah Remembrance Sunday ceremony – taking ‘all of two seconds’ to do so.
Reports in November said Buckingham Palace officials had prevented the Duke of Sussex from taking part in the service but it’s now been alleged it was the monarch herself who intervened.
The Daily Mail reports she turned down the request because she believes Harry should either be ‘in or out’ of the institution and can’t ‘pick and choose.’
The prince and his wife Meghan Markle decided not to travel back from their home in Los Angeles to the Remembrance Sunday service in November because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead they laid a wreath at the Los Angeles National Cemetery, leaving flowers at the graves of two Commonwealth soldiers – in what some called a ‘publicity stunt.’
Harry, 36, – who served 10 years in the army – had taken part in Remembrance ceremonies for 11 years and his brother, William, and father, Charles, both laid wreaths at the 2020 event.
The Duke of Sussex requested to have a wreath laid in his name but this was turned down. At the time officials said the Queen had no knowledge of the decision.
Now a source has told the Daily Mail: ‘Remembrance Sunday is sacrosanct when it comes to Her Majesty’s diary. It’s one of the most important dates in her calendar and nothing is done without her knowledge.
‘People were suggesting the Palace’s reaction to what Harry asked was petty. But it was the Queen’s decision. And what’s more, she actually had very strong views on the subject.’
The relationship between Harry and Meghan and the rest of the Royal family has worsened in the year since the couple quit their roles and moved to the US. It is now believed to be almost beyond repair.
Another source told the Daily Mail: ‘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.’
At the time the Duke was reported to have been very upset at the decision. He has repeatedly spoken about the importance of Remembrance Sunday during various media appearances since.
In November, he told a military podcast: ‘Even when we can’t all be together we always remember together.’
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