Meghan Markle did not wear a poppy to Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday party because they are not widely available in America, sources close to the Duchess have told the Daily Mail.
Meghan attended the flashy James Bond-themed bash at Jeff Bezos’s 165 million mansion on Remembrance weekend with the commemorative symbol noticeably missing from her glamorous ensemble.
Harry, meanwhile, had one pinned to his tuxedo, which he obtained after donating to the appeal during his recent visit to Canada, where he met with some of the country’s oldest veterans.
Sources have told the Daily Mail that Meghan was unable to visibly honour the war dead as poppies are not widely available in the States, unlike in Commonwealth countries.
The mother-of-two, 44, has previously been pictured sporting a poppy during Remembrance alongside her veteran husband Harry, who served two Army tours in Afghanistan.
Last year, the Sussexes both wore poppies attached to their lapels as they issued a joint video about online violence against children.
In 2023, the Duchess sported a poppy brooch as she and Harry visited United States Navy SEALs in San Diego.
People across the world can buy a poppy from the Royal British Legion’s website, but would have to pay £28 for postage to get it shipped to Montecito. Or better still, just make your own.
It comes as royal author Tom Bower told the Daily Mail that securing an invitation to Jenner’s birthday bash would have been a ‘big plus’ for Meghan.
But he said, ‘It’s noticeable that Harry is unable to stage the rictus smile which actress Meghan always displays for the cameras’.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘He looks fed up being paraded, one day at a sports match and on another day at a celeb party.
‘Clearly, he is now worried what revenge his brother might one day carry out against himself and his ambitious wife.’
During her 2024 video message, Meghan wore a five-petalled poppy, traditionally worn by royals.
In 2021, she had a poppy attached to her outfit as she joined The New York Times DealBook Online summit in New York City.
Photographer Calla Kessler posted a picture on social media at the time of Meghan with her poppy and said she had asked her about why she was wearing it.
‘I asked her about the poppy. It’s for Remembrance Day, to honour armed forces members,’ she said.
Last week, Prince Harry wrote a Remembrance Day essay on the ‘banter’ and ‘bravery’ that makes him proud to be British.
The Duke of Sussex voiced his pride at the ‘stoic spirit’ of self-deprecation and humour of ‘us Brits’ and said how the UK will ‘always be the country I proudly served’, despite departing for the US in 2020.
He said the ‘banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands’ are the ‘things that make us British’ and ‘I love it.’
The Royal, who is now living 5,500 miles away with Meghan and their two children in Montecito, paid homage to Britain ahead of Remembrance Day.
He reflected on the privilege of serving alongside soldiers from all four corners of the UK but warned how easy it is for veterans to be forgotten ‘once the uniform comes off’.
Harry called on people to remember ‘not only the fallen, but the living’ who carry the ‘weight of war’ and urged them to knock on veterans’ doors and ‘join them for a cuppa…or a pint’ to hear their stories and ‘remind them their service still matters’.
In a personal 647-word piece titled The Bond, The Banter, The Bravery: What It Means To Be British – By Prince Harry, the Duke acknowledged that although he ‘currently’ lives in the US, ‘Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for’.
He described Remembrance as ‘not simply a minute’s silence’ but ‘a call to collective responsibility’.
Harry voiced concern that, around the world this Remembrance Sunday, ‘peace for those lucky enough to know it, feels more fragile than ever’.
He told how he is ‘moved’ each year by the strength of the children of fallen military heroes supported by the Norfolk-based Scotty’s Little Soldiers charity, and praised the courage and camaraderie seen at his Invictus Games competition.
He concluded with: ‘Remembrance isn’t confined to one weekend in November.
‘It’s a lifelong commitment to empathy, gratitude, and action; to be kinder, more united, and braver in protecting what those before us fought to preserve.
‘So, as we bow our heads this weekend, let us remember not only the fallen, but the living – those who still carry the weight of war in body and mind, and the families who bear its memory in their hearts.
‘If you live near them, knock on their door. If you see them around, shake their hand.’
Oddly enough, the US participated in WWII, which should be reason enough for Meghan to wear a poppy, but then you shouldn’t wear one if you can’t wear it with pride.
Poppies are sold in the US via various organisations, mostly for fundraising and remembrance.
The American Legion Auxiliary and the US World War One Centennial Commission sell poppies to raise money for veterans, though the practice is less widespread than in countries like the UK.
Let’s say you decide not to wear a poppy while your husband, a former soldier, is wearing one. Saying you can’t acquire one while standing next to your husband, who is wearing one, is insulting to the public’s intelligence.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 