Prince Harry’s rift with the Royal Family over wreath highlights he is seen as ‘expendable’

Prince Harry’s rift with the Royal Family over his Remembrance Sunday wreath has highlighted how ‘expendable’ he is, a royal biographer has claimed. 

The Duke of Sussex, 36, who now lives in his $14 million mansion with Meghan Markle, 39, and their son Archie, one, is said to have been ‘deeply saddened’ after his personal request for a wreath to be laid at the Cenotaph on his behalf on Remembrance Sunday was denied. 

Robert Lacey, who recently released biography Battle of the Brothers, claimed the gesture indicated how ‘expendable’ Prince Harry is ‘as the spare’, telling Newsweek: ‘I think this is an indication that things are worse than we thought.’ 

The Queen was not thought to have been informed of the request or its refusal, the Times said, and Prince Harry instead placed his own wreath in Los Angeles, alongside the Duchess of Sussex.  

He labelled it a ‘perfectly reasonable request’ from the Duke, and said that if everything had been well between the palace and Prince Harry, the wish could have been fulfilled. 

Robert went on to say the decision did not bode well for those hoping for a reconciliation between the Sussexes and the royal family.

He explained: ‘On the face of this, it would seem that Harry is keener on reconciliation or maintaining some sort of link than the palace is to granting one.’

Meanwhile speaking about Prince Harry’s years of military service, he added: ‘The spares are expendable so they are sent to war. It’s all part of the cruelty of the spare system.’ 

Robert claimed the decision not to fulfill Harry’s wish did not bode well for those hoping for a reconciliation between the Sussexes and the royal family

Robert added that the photographs documenting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s personal visit to a cemetery in Los Angeles had been ‘clearly issued as part of the ongoing battle between the Sussexes and the palace.’ 

Prince Harry made the personal request to Buckingham Palace but it was reportedly refused. 

It later emerged that the royal’s wreath was made at the Royal British Legion’s Kent HQ for £1,000, but lay there forgotten on Sunday. 

Instead, Prince Harry and Meghan ‘personally recognised’ Remembrance Day by visiting the Los Angeles National cemetery to pay their respects to fallen Commonwealth soldiers.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured during a private visit to the Los Angeles National Cemetery on Remembrance Sunday

The Duke and Duchess laid flowers they had picked from their own garden at two graves, one for those who had served in the Royal Australian Air Force and one for soldiers from the Royal Canadian Artillery.  

They also placed a wreath at an obelisk in the cemetery that features a plaque inscribed ‘In Memory of the Men Who Offered Their Lives In Defence Of Their Country’. 

The couple laid flowers in memory of the Ronald William Scott, a Leading Aircraftman in the Royal Australian Air Force who died in the Second World War, aged just 22. 

They also visited the grave of Captain William Quayle Setliffe Sr, who served in the First World War, before dying on Christmas Day in 1946 at the age of 61. He served with the Royal Canadian Artillery. 

Prince Harry signed a message with the wreath he left at the cemetery saying: ‘To all of those who have served, and are serving. Thank you’

They 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 Deference of Their Country’

Harry was pictured wearing a navy suit with his service medals attached, while Meghan wore a long belted black coat. The pair wore masks on the way to the cemetery, though they were pictured without them when they reached the graves.

The flowers were picked by Meghan from the garden of their $14 million Santa Barbara mansion.  

A spokesman for the couple said: ‘It was important to the duke and duchess to be able to personally recognise Remembrance in their own way, to pay tribute to those who have served and to those who gave their lives.

Prince William and Prince Charles attend the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in London

‘The couple laid flowers that the duchess picked from their garden 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 statement said they also placed a wreath at an obelisk in the cemetery.

‘The duke signed a message with the wreath saying: “To all of those who have served, and are serving. Thank you”.’