Prince Harry's Remembrance Day Snub Shows That His Feud with the Royal Family Is "Worse Than We Thought"

Prince Harry's "perfectly reasonable" Remembrance Day request was denied by the royal family, proving that their rift is "worse than we thought."

  • Last weekend, when the royal family celebrated Remembrance Day, they reportedly snubbed Prince Harry by denying his request to have a wreath laid at the Cenotaph on his behalf.
  • According to royal historian and biographer Robert Lacey, the snub indicates that the feud between Harry and the rest of the royal family is "worse than we thought."
  • "On the face of this, it would seem that Harry is keener on reconciliation or maintaining some sort of link than the palace is to granting one," Lacey added.

The latest bit of royal feud drama proves that Prince Harry's relationship with the rest of the royal family is "worse than we thought"—at least according to one royal expert.

A little background: Last weekend, people in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries around the world observed Remembrance Sunday, a holiday for recognizing, remembering, and honoring members of the Armed Forces who died in their service. The holiday means a lot to Harry, who served for 10 years in the British Army.

Harry, who currently lives in California with his wife, Meghan Markle, and son, Archie Harrison, reportedly asked that a wreath be laid at the Cenotaph on his behalf on Remembrance Sunday, since he couldn't travel to participate in the annual service himself. The request was apparently denied, which left Harry feeling "deeply saddened," according to a report from the Daily Mail

Royal historian and biographer Robert Lacey, whose most recent book, Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult, delves deep into Harry's long-reported rift with his brother, Prince William, and the royal family as a whole, weighed in on the snub, telling Newsweek that it was proof of how "expendable" the rest of the royal family sees Harry "as the spare."

"I think this is an indication that things are worse than we thought," Lacey explained, calling Harry's request "perfectly reasonable" and adding that its being denied might signal that Harry is more interested in repairing his relationship with his family than the rest of the royals are.

"On the face of this, it would seem that Harry is keener on reconciliation or maintaining some sort of link than the palace is to granting one," Lacey said. "The spares are expendable so they are sent to war. It's all part of the cruelty of the spare system."

Oof.

Harry ended up celebrating Remembrance Day privately with Meghan Markle at a cemetery in Los Angeles.

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london, united kingdom november 11 embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 24 hours after create date and time meghan, duchess of sussex and prince harry, duke of sussex attend a service to mark the centenary of the armistice at westminster abbey on november 11, 2018 in london, england the armistice ending the first world war between the allies and germany was signed at compiègne, france on eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month 11am on the 11th november 1918 this day is commemorated as remembrance day with special attention being paid for this years centenary photo by max mumbyindigogetty images

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)
Kayleigh Roberts
Weekend Editor

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.