The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have found themselves at the centre of a fresh royal storm after their appearance at a celebrity birthday party just days before Remembrance Sunday.
A Celebrity Clash with Tradition
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were photographed attending Kris Jenner's 70th birthday celebration in Los Angeles, an event that placed their Hollywood lifestyle directly alongside one of the most solemn occasions in the royal calendar. The timing of their high-profile appearance at the Kardashian family gathering immediately drew criticism from some royal commentators, who questioned the couple's juggling of their royal associations with their celebrity-focused lives in America.
While some critics expressed fury at what they perceived as a disrespectful partying session before such a significant day of reflection, others defended the Sussexes' right to live their chosen lives outside the royal fold. The controversy was further fuelled when photographs of Harry and Meghan enjoying the festivities were mysteriously deleted from both Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner's Instagram accounts, though they later reappeared.
Remembrance Efforts Overshadowed
Despite the party controversy, both Harry and Meghan had separately marked the period of remembrance in their own ways. Prince Harry travelled to Sunnybrook Hospital's Veterans Centre in Toronto, Canada, where he met with former service personnel ahead of the commemorative day.
Meanwhile, Meghan Markle honoured the occasion through a social media post on Remembrance Day itself, sharing a memorable clip from Prince Harry's second deployment in Afghanistan. The 2013 footage shows Harry abruptly ending a television interview to dash to his helicopter as a military alert sounds. Her post was captioned: "As my husband says, 'Once served. Always serving.' Thank you to all who served, sacrificed, and continued to serve. Honouring you on Veterans Day. And every day."
Observers noted that while Harry wore a poppy pin on his jacket lapel at the Kardashian party, Meghan did not, drawing additional criticism from some quarters.
Expert Analysis: Obliterating the Royal Past?
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond provided insight into the situation, suggesting that while the Sussexes shouldn't be demonised for attending the party, their actions speak to a broader shift in their priorities. "Well, I'm not sure they need to hide away because of Remembrance Day," Bond told the Mirror. "After all, Harry paid his own tribute during his trip to Canada. And he was wearing his poppy at the party, so he wasn't ignoring the date."
Bond described the situation as "perhaps just an unfortunate diary clash" but noted that the couple have consciously chosen their current path. "They have chosen the celebrity LA life now, so they might as well live it and own up to it," she added.
The royal expert also addressed the deleted photos controversy, noting that "things have only been made worse by the hooha over photos of them at the party being 'mysteriously' deleted. That's a sure-fired way of giving a story 'legs', in other words drawing even more attention to their presence at the party."
Most tellingly, Bond suggested that Meghan's behaviour indicates a deliberate move away from her royal past. "Meghan in particular seems to want to hang out with celebrities, and that's fair enough. But it increasingly obliterates any memory that she was once, very briefly, a royal," she concluded.
Despite the controversy surrounding the Sussexes' activities, Bond believes their actions would have little impact on the royal family itself, stating she doubts "the Palace would have taken much notice" of their party attendance or the subsequent social media drama.
