Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.aol.com
Prince Harry made an unexpected, understated appearance at a local Remembrance Sunday service.
The Duke of Sussex attended to pay his respects – just miles from the elaborate ceremony featuring the Royal Family’s official events in London. Rather than standing formally in Whitehall, a smiling Prince Harry was observed maintaining a discreet presence in the Northamptonshire market town of Brackley.
Displaying his military medals with pride and a vivid red poppy affixed to his chest, the Duke was filmed interacting among ordinary residents. Positioned on a side street adjacent to The Crown Hotel shortly before 3 pm on November 8, Harry presented a lone yet respectful presence as he commemorated the nation’s fallen.
Earlier, frustrated royal supporters expressed bitter disappointment as the Royal Family appeared in London for the most somber occasion on the royal calendar.
Citing the Duke’s decade-long military service and two deployments to Afghanistan, devoted observers expressed outrage over his absence from the official London ceremony.
Prince Harry mingled among locals (Image: SWNS)
One supporter fumed, “That Harry wasn’t there is a crime!”, while another called his absence a “disgrace,” maintaining the Invictus Games founder had “earned” the privilege to stand alongside his family.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are also reportedly set to spend Christmas in the U.K. for the first time since 2018, staying at their Cotswolds home, though they won’t be participating in festivities with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Sandringham.
Instead of rejoining the customary royal gathering in Norfolk, the couple are anticipated to have organized their own intimate celebrations with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, according to HELLO! Magazine.
Originally, sources suggested the couple might head back to California to enjoy the holidays with Meghan’s mother, but the latest reports reveal they are now preparing to experience a classic British winter.
The pair are expected to enjoy a peaceful Christmas at their new Cotswolds residence with Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, who have recently begun going to British schools.
Meghan last celebrated Christmas with the royal family in 2018, having broken royal tradition the year prior, when the late Queen Elizabeth II invited her as Prince Harry’s fiancée.
Their absence from Sandringham this year may serve as an obvious indication of the continuing divide between the two sides.
