It was a tale of two Remembrances 5,000 miles – and a whole world – apart.
As the Queen braved the chill of a wet November day in London, Harry and Meghan paid their respects to war veterans California-style.
For Camilla, it was her annual pilgrimage to the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey, where she paid a touching tribute to the nation’s fallen.
Wearing a Rifles coat by Fiona Clare with a short black cape by Amanda Wakeley, she placed a small wooden cross bearing her cypher and the words ‘In Remembrance’ amid a sea of poppies.
Shortly before 11am, the Last Post was sounded by a bugler from the Scots Guards on the parapet of St Margaret’s Church, with Camilla bowing her head during a two-minute silence, punctuated by the chimes of Big Ben.
She then met Abbey staff and representatives from The Poppy Factory, which has organised the service since 1928.
Camilla is due to attend Remembrance Day commemorations on Sunday. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex last attended events in London in 2019, before they stepped back as working royals.
Since moving to the US they have attended Veterans Day events at military bases across the States.
Yesterday, they met servicemen and their families at the opening of a new training centre for veterans in San Diego.
Wearing poppies on their jackets – although it is not American tradition – they met members of America’s elite Navy Seals as the ribbon was cut on the West Coast Warrior Fitness Facility, a 20,000 sq ft gym which will help veterans recover physically and mentally.
Harry and Meghan, who have stressed the importance of mental health through their Archewell Foundation and Invictus Games work, were praised by former Seal Tony Duynstee, who said they had shown ‘courage’ by ‘really destigmatising mental health issues for those who have gone through military service’.
Earlier, they had visited US Marines Corp base Camp Pendleton, with details of the visit posted on their Archewell website – alongside moody black and white pictures of Meghan in a £1,200 Carolina Herrera cardigan embroidered with poppies.
The website article described how the couple sat at a discussion table to learn about the work of Operation Bigs, a mentoring programme which connects military children and families with others who have gone through similar experiences.
In 2020, a request by Harry, who served two frontline tours in Afghanistan, for a wreath to be laid at the Cenotaph in Whitehall was denied by royal courtiers.
While Camilla was in Whitehall yesterday, the King visited the Central Synagogue in London to mark the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, when Nazis attacked Jewish homes, businesses and places of worship on the night of November 9, 1938.
Meeting a group of Jewish refugees who were among 10,000 children who escaped to the UK within weeks of the attacks, he told them: ‘You make me very proud.’
He added: ‘How you managed to endure all of this is truly remarkable. It seems an important occasion… to keep memories alive.’
The King’s charities are to be renamed to reflect his accession, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
They will be now be known as the King’s Foundation and the King’s Trust, meaning it is unlikely William or Harry will take them over.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
