For the heartbreaking occasion, royals including the
Queen are set to be in attendance – but two members of the family who will
likely be remembering the Duke of Edinburgh in private are Prince Harry and Meghan
Markle.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are unable to attend the
memorial in person, so it’s possible they will choose to pay tribute to Harry’s
late grandfather from their Montecito home with their two children, Archie and
Lilibet.
Last year, Prince Harry was one of 30 guests at the funeral
service due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meghan was advised by doctors not to
travel during her second pregnancy – however, she still ensured she sent a very
special gift to Her Majesty to prove she was in her thoughts.
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Meghan and Harry’s purple wreath (second from right) was pictured inside St George’s Chapel
The wreath, which was accompanied by a handwritten note
from the Duchess, was made up of a variety of bright purple and blue locally
sourced flowers – each of which had been thoughtfully selected.
Created by one of their favourite florists, Willow
Crossley, the royal couple specifically asked for the wreath to include
acanthus mollis (bear’s breeches), the national flower of Greece to represent
Prince Philip’s heritage, and eryngium (sea holly) to represent the Royal
Marines.
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Prince Harry with his family at Prince Philip’s funeral
The wreath also featured campanula to represent gratitude
and everlasting love, rosemary to signify remembrance, lavender for devotion,
and roses in honour of June being Philip’s birth month.
Willow Crossley also did the flower arrangements for the
couple’s evening wedding reception in Frogmore Gardens in 2018, their son
Archie’s christening in 2019, and the launch event for the Hubb Community
cookbook at Kensington Palace.
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The Queen sat by herself at the funeral
Harry flew from America to the UK and self-isolated at
Frogmore Cottage ahead of the service, while Meghan stayed at their home in
Santa Barbara, California with their son, Archie.
The Duke joined family members including the Queen, Prince
Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, the Duke
and Duchess of Cambridge, Peter Philips, Zara and Mike Tindall, Princess
Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank.
The Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip is
set to take place on 29 March at Westminster Abbey, almost one year after he
sadly passed away.
