Harry and Meghan cemetery photoshoot could deepen royal rift

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What’s the point in privately honoring the soldiers who died fighting for their country if you don’t bring a famous photographer to document it?

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle apparently didn’t see the interest, which is why they asked a favorite fashion photographer, who has worked with Kanye West and Vogue, to document what was otherwise billed as a personal visit. Sunday. The couple, reflecting the actions of the royal family in Britain, laid flowers and wreaths at Los Angeles National Cemetery in honor of Remembrance Day, Britain’s version of Veterans Day, reported the Daily Mail.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex then asked their public relations officials to release photos to the media, showing Meghan in an elegant black dress and Harry wearing her military ribbons and a traditional red poppy, looking grim as they laid flowers on the graves of two Commonwealth soldiers. , one who had served in the Royal Australian Air Force and one in the Royal Canadian Artillery, the Daily Mail and other media reported.

The flowers were from the garden at the couple’s new estate in Montecito, People reported. Harry and Megan also placed a wreath on an obelisk in the cemetery which features a plaque with the inscription “In memory of the men who gave their lives to defend their country”.

The couple’s decision to turn an occasion to honor the war dead into a photoshoot sparked the usual wave of outrage in the UK, with Piers Morgan, one of their outspoken critics, calling the photos of an “unpleasant publicity stunt,” the Daily Beast reported. The accompanying backlash also appears to reflect the depths of the couple’s feud with Harry’s family, commentators have said.

Daily Beast writer Tom Sykes pointed out that the courtiers at Buckingham Palace likely started this latest argument by refusing Harry’s “personal request” to lay a wreath in his name at the Remembrance Day ceremony in which his family attended at the Cenotaph in London on the same day. Courtiers have rejected the request on the grounds that he no longer represents the monarchy since he and Meghan formally stepped down from royal duties in March, the Sunday Times reported.

Harry was reportedly “deeply saddened” by the courtiers’ decision, the Daily Beast reported. People close to the Duke have also denied accusations that his visit to the cemetery was just a publicity stunt, saying it was an honest attempt to show respect for the war dead, said reported The Sun.

While Queen Elizabeth was reportedly ignored by the courtiers’ decision, Sykes wrote that this has been widely interpreted as clear confirmation that Harry’s grandmother and father Prince Charles feel he absolutely shouldn’t have no ceremonial role within the family.

Harry and Meghan were also unable to be in London on Sunday due to COVID-19 and their stormy break with the royal family. Harry and Meghan were present at the ceremony last year; Harry joined his father, brother Prince William and his since disgraced uncle Prince Andrew to lay poppy wreaths at the cenotaph.

This year, only Charles and William laid the wreaths at the memorial, People reported.

Sykes wrote that it was disappointing that Buckingham Palace could not find a way to satisfy Harry’s wish to be seen to publicly pay homage to him at the cenotaph. After all, Harry spent 10 years in the military, set up the successful Invictus Games for disabled veterans, and otherwise fundraised and educated wounded veterans, Sykes said.

“Given all of this, it is not completely unreasonable for him to think that he could still have a valuable role to play in defending veterans,” Sykes wrote.

A relative of Harry cited a podcast interview over the weekend, in which he spoke of wanting to recognize Remembrance Day, “not only for all of those people historically, but also for those he knew he had. lost, ”The Sun reported.

“I don’t think it’s someone doing something like Remembrance Sunday as a publicity stunt,” the source said, adding that “the military family is probably one of the most important things for the Duke, and always will be.

Still, it’s obvious Harry and Meghan have decided to post their carefully curated photos, taken by Lee Morgan, to gain positive attention for themselves. They could also reasonably expect their photos to eclipse the official ceremony in London.

One of the reasons Harry and Meghan decided to leave the UK and step down from their 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 the Royal Family was not doing enough to protect their privacy or Meghan from a critical tabloid. The Sussexes also didn’t believe “the firm” valued the power of their global fame.

Nonetheless, Royal Daily Express reporter Richard Palmer tweeted that the graveyard photoshoot was likely “to deepen Harry and Meghan’s rift with his family”. He asked, “Why is it necessary to take a PR photographer and publicize your act of ‘private’ remembrance?”

Palmer also asked why Harry and Meghan had not invited Los Angeles-based reporters to cover their visit to the cemetery, if their intention was really to draw attention to the sacrifices made by soldiers during the war.

“Britain Harry and Meghan have mostly made ‘engagements’ where they seek to control the message by posting photos and press releases afterwards,” Palmer said. “Where are the American media at these events? Isn’t the free press one of the western values ​​that we cherish and for which we fight? “



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