Prince Harry found this year’s D-Day commemorations to be a ‘bittersweet experience,’ according to a royal expert.
The Duke of Sussex, who stepped back from royal duties in 2020, including his military patronages, reportedly has “deep regrets” about not being able to participate in the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy this week.
Royal author and expert Tom Quinn exclusively told the Mirror: “The one time in Harry‘s life when he felt he was admired for his own abilities and not just for being a member of the royal family was during his time in the military.
“Military service gave him more satisfaction and happiness than anything other than meeting Meghan and having children. He will have certainly been aware of everything that took place on D-Day and deeply regretted that he was not able to be part of it.”
He continued: “Seeing the other senior Royals attend the D-Day commemorations will have been a bittersweet experience for Harry – on the one hand huge relief that by not being there he’s avoided the horrendous difficulties of meeting and greeting members of his family with whom he has fallen out so badly.
“On the other hand, he will have hated not being able to attend an event that means so much to anyone who has served in the armed services. The truth is Harry feels more affinity with the military than he feels with his family.”
The comments come as Prince Harry also missed out on another occasion this weekend, as he didn’t attend his long-time friend Hugh Grosvenor’s, the Duke of Westminster, wedding in Chester on Friday.
Hugh, who is also godfather to Harry’s son Archie, is also a close friend of Prince William and it’s thought that Harry avoided the wedding to avoid seeing his older brother as the royal rift continues.
