Meghan Markle has paid tribute to veterans in a heartfelt social media post just days after she was criticised for not wearing a poppy during Remembrance weekend while attending Kris Jenner‘s lavish 70th birthday party.
The Duchess of Sussex posted to Instagram on Tuesday, sharing a famous clip of Prince Harry in military uniform sprinting to his helicopter mid-interview during his 2013 tour in Afghanistan.
Alongside the footage, Meghan wrote: ‘As my husband says, ‘Once served. Always serving.’ Thank you to all who served, sacrificed, and continue to serve. Honoring you on Veterans Day. And every day.’
The post also included a touching photograph of Harry’s recent visit to Sunnybrook Hospital’s Veterans Centre in Toronto, where he met former servicemen and women last week.
However, her message came after reports that she chose not to wear a poppy to Jenner’s Bond-themed party at Jeff Bezos’s £165million mansion in Los Angeles over the weekend.
Sources told the Daily Mail the reason for this was because poppies are ‘not widely available in America’, unlike in Commonwealth countries.
Meghan attended the glitzy James Bond-themed party at Jeff Bezos‘s $165million mansion on Remembrance weekend with the commemorative symbol noticeably missing from her glamorous outfit.
Harry, meanwhile, had one pinned to his tuxedo, which he obtained after donating to the appeal during his recent visit to Canada, where he met with some of the country’s oldest veterans.
The post also included a touching photograph of Harry’s recent visit to Sunnybrook Hospital’s Veterans Centre in Toronto
The Duke of Sussex speaking with veteran Ossie Reece at the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre in Toronto, Canada
The Duchess of Sussex posted to Instagram on Tuesday, sharing a famous clip of Prince Harry in military uniform sprinting to his helicopter mid-interview during his 2013 tour in Afghanistan
The mother-of-two, 44, has previously been pictured wearing a poppy during Remembrance alongside her veteran husband Harry, who served two Army tours in Afghanistan.
Last year, the Sussexes both wore poppies fastened to their lapels as they published a joint video about online violence against children.
While in 2023 the Duchess wore a poppy brooch as she and Harry visited United States Navy SEALs in San Diego.
People across the globe can purchase a poppy from the Royal British Legion’s website, but would have to pay £28 for postage to get it sent to Montecito.
Meanwhile, royal author Tom Bower told the Daily Mail that securing an invitation to Jenner’s birthday bash would have been a ‘big plus’ for Meghan.
But he said ‘it’s noticeable that Harry is unable to stage the rictus smile which actress Meghan always displays for the cameras’.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘He looks fed up being paraded, one day at sports match and on another day at a celeb party.
‘Clearly, he is now worried what revenge his brother might one day carry out against himself and his ambitious wife.’
During her 2024 video message, Meghan wore a five-petalled poppy, traditionally worn by royals.
While in 2021 she had a poppy attached to her outfit as she joined The New York Times DealBook Online summit in New York City.
Photographer Calla Kessler posted an image on social media at the time of Meghan with her poppy and said she had asked her about why she was wearing it.
She took to Instagram to share a famous interview clip of the Duke of Sussex in military gear, dramatically running to his helicopter mid-television interview in Afghanistan, from 2013. Meghan pictured last month
Last week, Prince Harry penned a Remembrance Day essay on the ‘banter’ and ‘bravery’ that makes him proud to be British. Harry is pictured attending the Invictus Games in spring, 2024
‘I asked her about the poppy. It’s for Remembrance Day, to honor armed forces members,’ she said.
Last week, Prince Harry penned a Remembrance Day essay on the ‘banter’ and ‘bravery’ that makes him proud to be British.
The Duke of Sussex expressed his pride at the ‘stoic spirit’ of self-deprecation and humour of ‘us Brits’ and said how the UK will ‘always be the country I proudly served’, despite leaving for the US in 2020.
He said the ‘banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands’ are the ‘things that make us British’ and ‘I love it.’
The Royal, who is now residing 5,500 miles away with Meghan and their two children in Montecito, paid homage to Britain ahead of Remembrance Day.
He reflected on the privilege of serving alongside soldiers from all four corners of the UK but warned how easy it is for veterans to be forgotten ‘once the uniform comes off’.
Harry called on people to remember ‘not only the fallen, but the living’ who carry the ‘weight of war’ and urged them to knock on veterans’ doors and ‘join them for a cuppa…or a pint’ to hear their stories and ‘remind them their service still matters’.
In a personal 647-word piece titled The Bond, The Banter, The Bravery: What It Means To Be British – By Prince Harry, the Duke acknowledged although he ‘currently’ lives in the US, ‘Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for’.
He described Remembrance as ‘not simply a minute’s silence’ but ‘a call to collective responsibility’.
Harry expressed concern that, around the world this Remembrance Sunday, ‘peace for those lucky enough to know it, feels more fragile than ever’.
He told how he is ‘moved’ each year by the strength of the children of fallen military heroes supported by the Norfolk-based Scotty’s Little Soldiers charity, and praised the courage and camaraderie seen at his Invictus Games competition.
He finished with: ‘Remembrance isn’t confined to one weekend in November.
‘It’s a lifelong commitment to empathy, gratitude, and action; to be kinder, more united, and braver in protecting what those before us fought to preserve.
‘So, as we bow our heads this weekend, let us remember not only the fallen, but the living – those who still carry the weight of war in body and mind, and the families who bear its memory in their hearts.
‘If you live near them, knock on their door. If you see them around, shake their hand.’
