What’s the point of privately honoring soldiers who died while fighting for their countries if you don’t bring a celebrity photographer to document it?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle apparently didn’t see the point, which is why they had a favorite fashion photographer, who has worked with Kanye West and Vogue, document what was otherwise billed as a personal visit Sunday. The couple, mirroring the actions of the Royal family in Britain, laid flowers and wreaths at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in honor of Remembrance Day, the U.K.’s version of Veteran’s Day, the Daily Mail reported.
Prince Harry and Meghan have marked #RemembranceSunday by visiting the Los Angeles National Cemetery today. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wanted to “personally recognise” the day in their own way. pic.twitter.com/jFRr3RPbRv
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) November 8, 2020
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex then had their P.R. people release photos to the media, showing Meghan in an elegant black frock, and Harry wearing his military ribbons and a traditional red poppy, looking somber as they laid flowers at the gravesites of two commonwealth soldiers, one who had served in the Royal Australian Air Force and one from the Royal Canadian Artillery, the Daily Mail and other outlets reported.
The flowers came from the garden of the couple’s new estate in Montecito, People reported. Harry and Megan also placed a wreath at an obelisk in the cemetery that features a plaque that’s inscribed, “In Memory of the Men Who Offered Their Lives in Defense of Their Country.”
The couple’s decision to turn an occasion to honor the war dead into a photo-op sparked the usual round of outrage in the U.K., with Piers Morgan, one of their most outspoken critics, calling the photos “a distasteful P.R. stunt,” the Daily Beast reported. The accompanying backlash also appeared to reflect the depths of the couple’s feud with Harry’s family, commentators said.
Daily Beast writer Tom Sykes pointed out that Buckingham Palace courtiers probably started this latest row by denying Harry’s “personal request” to lay a wreath in his name at the Remembrance Day ceremony his family attended at London’s Cenotaph Memorial the same day. Courtiers denied the request on the grounds that he no longer represents the monarchy since he and Meghan officially stepped down from the royal duties in March, the Sunday Times reported.
Harry was said to be “deeply saddened” by the courtiers’ decision, the Daily Beast reported. People close to the duke also denied accusations that his cemetery visit was merely a publicity stunt, saying it was an honest attempt to show respect for the war dead, The Sun reported.
While Queen Elizabeth reportedly was out of the loop on the courtiers’ decision, Sykes wrote that it was widely interpreted as clear confirmation that Harry’s grandmother and his father, Prince Charles, feel he should have absolutely no ceremonial role within the family.
Harry and Meghan also couldn’t be in London Sunday because of COVID-19 and because of their stormy break with the royal family. Harry and Meghan were present at last year’s ceremony; Harry joined his father, his brother, Prince William, and his since-disgraced uncle, Prince Andrew, in laying wreaths of poppies at the Cenotaph.
This year, it was just Charles and William laying the wreaths at the memorial, People reported.
Sykes wrote it was disappointing that Buckingham Palace couldn’t find a way to accommodate Harry’s wish to be seen to publicly pay his respects at the Cenotaph. After all, Harry spent 10 years in the army, set up the successful Invictus Games for disabled veterans and has otherwise raised money and awareness for the plight of wounded veterans, Sykes said.
“Given all that, it’s not completely unreasonable for him to think that he may still have a valuable role to play advocating for veterans,” Sykes wrote.
Someone close to Harry cited a podcast interview over the weekend, during which he talked about wanting to recognize Remembrance Day, “not only for all those people historically, but also for the people he knew that he lost,” The Sun reported.
“I don’t think that’s someone who does something like Remembrance Sunday as a publicity stunt,” the source said, adding that “the military family is probably one of the most important things to the duke, and will always be so.”
Still, it’s apparent Harry and Meghan’s decided to release their carefully curated photos, shot by Lee Morgan, to garner positive attention for themselves. They could also reasonably expect that their photos would overshadow the official ceremony in London.
One of the reasons that Harry and Meghan decided to leave the U.K. and depart royal duties is that they wanted to assert control over their own media coverage and branding. According to their well-documented complaints, the Sussexes felt that the royal family didn’t do enough to protect their privacy or Meghan from a critical tabloid media. The Sussexes also didn’t believe “the Firm” appreciated the power of their global celebrity.
Nonetheless, Daily Express royal reporter Richard Palmer tweeted that the cemetery photo-op was likely “to deepen Harry and Meghan’s rift with his family.” He asked, “Why the need to take a PR photographer and publicize your ‘private’ act of remembrance?”
The rift between the palace and Harry and Meghan is likely to deepen again. Why the need to take a PR photographer and publicise your “private” act of remembrance? https://t.co/XM8fBCcb6E
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) November 9, 2020
Palmer also questioned why Harry and Meghan didn’t invite Los Angeles-based reporters to cover their cemetery visit, if their intention truly was to bring attention to the sacrifices made by soldiers in war.
“Britain Harry and Meghan have mainly done ‘engagements’ at which they seek to control the message by issuing photos and press releases afterwards,” Palmer said. “Where is the US media at these events? Isn’t a free press one of the western values we cherish and fight for?”
Morgan, the host for “Good Morning Britain,” said on Twitter: “Just outrageous — treating Remembrance Sunday like a PR opportunity, & trying to steal headlines from the real royals doing their duty back home.”
Responding to another post on social media, Morgan also criticized the couple’s oft-stated demands for privacy from constant media scrutiny. “If they wanted to be ‘left alone’, they wouldn’t do PR stunts every day to get media attention.”
Just outrageous – treating Remembrance Sunday like a PR opportunity, & trying to steal headlines from the real royals doing their duty back home. https://t.co/3V3NXkICdU
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 8, 2020