The Duchess of Sussex shared a clip from one of Prince Harry's most famous TV interviews as she honoured those who "served, sacrificed and continue to serve" on Veterans Day in the US on Tuesday. The footage taken from the Duke's time serving in Afghanistan with the British Army in 2013, shows Harry dramatically unclipping his microphone as he runs to a helicopter after an alarm sounded in the hangar.
The Duke served in the military for ten years, undertaking two tours of Afghanistan, including one where he had retrained as an Apache pilot in the Army Air Corps. He left the Army in March 2015 to fulfil full-time royal duties but stepped back as a senior working royal five years later to move to the US.
Meghan, 44, also posted an image of her husband meeting one of the Canadian veterans at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre during his visit to Toronto last week, as he marked "the annual period of Remembrancetide" with a series of poignant engagements.
In the caption, the Duchess wrote: "As my husband says, 'Once served. Always serving.' Thank you to all who served, sacrificed, and continue to serve. Honoring you on Veterans Day. And every day."
Poppy-gate criticism
It comes after Meghan sparked criticism for not wearing a poppy on Remembrance weekend, as she and Harry attended the Baby2Baby Gala in West Hollywood and Kris Jenner's 70th birthday party at billionaire Jeff Bezos' home. The Duke sported a red poppy on the lapel of his suit for the charity event, and also on his tuxedo for the Bond-themed bash.
Meghan has worn a poppy since stepping back from royal life, notably in a joint video message with Harry in 2024 in which they spoke about the importance of addressing digital violence to protect children online. The pair also donned the pins as they visited a US Navy SEALs facility in San Diego in November 2023, as well as at the Salute to Freedom Gala in New York in 2021, where Harry presented the Intrepid Valor Award to five service members.
However, use of poppies in the US has diminished since their introduction in the 1920s, and many Americans choose to wear remembrance poppies on Memorial Day, which falls in May. Commonwealth countries such as Canada and the UK have adopted the tradition more so, with the Royal British Legion stating on its website: "It's a matter of personal choice whether someone chooses to wear a poppy and how they choose to wear it. We simply ask that if you do wear a poppy, you wear it with pride."