Prince Harry will avoid all high-profile Remembrance Day events this year, opting instead to honour the occasion in private so as not to overshadow the Royal Family’s official ceremonies at the Cenotaph, sources close to the Duke of Sussex have claimed.
There had been growing speculation about how Harry might observe the solemn occasion, with a visit to the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire reportedly considered as one possibility.
A friend of the Duke of Sussex said: “He’s not going to do anything that would pull focus from the Royal Family or the national commemorations at the Cenotaph in London.
“More likely, he’ll mark it in the same way that most veterans do, privately, either at church or at their local war memorial’s annual service.”
“He has no desire to create drama or do anything that could distract from his family’s role in the national commemorations,” the friend continued to tell Hello!.
Harry, who spent a decade in the British Army and completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan, last participated in the national Remembrance Sunday commemorations in November 2019, just months before he and Meghan relocated to the United States.
In 2020, the couple were photographed placing flowers at the graves of two Commonwealth soldiers at Los Angeles National Cemetery, with Harry wearing his service medals.
That visit came after Palace officials had rejected his request to have a wreath laid on his behalf at the Cenotaph.
Prince Harry | Source: REUTERS
“For Harry, Remembrance Sunday is a deeply personal and important occasion, a time to honour those who have served, remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and stand alongside veterans,” the friend said.
Since leaving royal life, the Duke has approached the anniversary in varying ways each year.
In the run-up to last year’s Remembrance weekend, Harry released an essay in which he spoke of his pride in having served his country, publishing it shortly before official commemorations and a day ahead of Prince William’s keynote address at the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil.
The Duke and Duchess were subsequently pictured at a celebration for Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday over the Remembrance weekend itself.
King Charles III at the Cenotaph | Source: PA
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The photographs were later taken down from Instagram, with Kim Kardashian explaining that the couple had been worried about the optics, despite Harry having worn a poppy.
In August 2025, GB News exclusively revealed that Harry arranged for a friend to place a wreath at the Burma Star memorial in Staffordshire following national VJ Day events attended by the King and Queen, accompanied by a letter paying tribute to his late grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, who served in the Pacific campaign.
Looking ahead, the Duke will bring the Invictus Games back to British soil next year when Birmingham hosts the eighth edition of the adaptive sports competition he founded. It will be the first time the tournament for sick, injured and wounded service personnel and veterans has been staged in the UK since the inaugural event in 2014.
The Games represent a central pillar of Harry’s post-royal public life and underscore his ongoing dedication to the military community, even as he navigates the complexities of his relationship with the institution his family leads.
For now, though, the Duke appears determined to ensure that this year’s Remembrance period remains focused squarely on those it is meant to honour, rather than on any tensions within the Royal Family.
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