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Remembrance Sunday in Britain has come and gone, and this year King Charles again led the nation in remembering the lives of those lost in war and conflict.

The monarch was joined at the Cenotaph in London on Nov. 8 by Prince William, who also laid a wreath of poppies, as well as Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton), who both watched the ceremony from the balcony.  

Although Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved back to the U.K. in August, they did not take part in the ceremony with the rest of the family. However, the king’s youngest son was spotted solo in Brackley, Northamptonshire, to commemorate the day. But some believe the Sussexes “missed an opportunity” by not appearing together.

Royal commentator for the Express, Alicia Liberty, opined that the duke and duchess made a big mistake with that decision, explaining that Meghan should have stood alongside her husband, who is of course a military veteran and proudly wore his poppies.

According to Liberty, the duke and duchess “missed a golden opportunity. For a couple who regularly champion togetherness, surely Remembrance Sunday would have been the perfect occasion to stand shoulder to shoulder, particularly given Harry’s deeply personal connection to the Armed Forces. Instead, Harry stood alone, and I believe that decision was a foolish mistake.”

The commentator did add that she found Harry’s trip to Brackley “admirable” and “refreshing” as he honored Britain’s fallen heroes by quietly paying tribute without any formal speeches.

“No grand speeches, no celebrity audience, and no elaborate itinerary—just a veteran quietly paying his respects,” Liberty noted. “But I cannot help wondering why Meghan wasn’t beside him, particularly when the couple so frequently appear together to champion causes close to their hearts.”

One witness who saw the prince during his outing told the Daily Mail that “[Harry] was at the memorial service—he was stood next to the pub. He was stood there watching, and then afterwards he went into the market and started shaking everyone’s hand. He was there for the whole service—we were there for 20 or 30 minutes, and he was there before us. He just wanted to show some respect.”

Another reason some are baffled that Meghan didn’t appear with the duke is because before returning to London, they marked Remembrance Sunday together.

Most notably in 2020, when the couple visited the Los Angeles National Cemetery, where they left flowers on the gravesites of two Commonwealth soldiers, one who had served in the Royal Australian Air Force, and another who had served in the Royal Canadian Artillery. They also left a wreath in front of an obelisk featuring the inscription: “In Memory of the Men Who Offered Their Lives in Defense of Their Country.”

A statement released on behalf of the Sussexes at the time said, “It was important to the duke and duchess to be able to personally recognize Remembrance in their own way, to pay tribute to those who have served and to those who gave their lives.”

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