People haven’t stopped talking about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s attendance at Kris Jenner‘s star-studded 70th birthday party on Saturday, November 8th. Mostly negatively, of course.
And one of the biggest talking points – apart from the Kardashians taking down their pictures of the Sussexes shortly after posting them – was the fact that Meghan, 44, didn’t join Prince Harry, 41, in wearing a poppy, despite it being the day before Remembrance Sunday.
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Meghan Markle Slammed For Not Wearing A Poppy
The former Suits actress has come under fire for not wearing a poppy with her black gown at the Kardashian matriarch's James-Bond-themed party. The act has been deemed a "deliberate snub" to both her husband, who served in the British military for over ten years and founded the Invictus Games for wounded servicemen and servicewomen, and the royal family.
"Meghan's fully aware of the symbolism. The poppy isn't just decoration – it's a powerful emblem that means everything to Harry and the royals," a royal insider told RadarOnline.
"By deliberately leaving it off," they continued, "she was making a statement of contempt toward both him and the entire family."
'Meghan Knows Exactly What The Poppy Stands For'
Another source, listed as a palace insider, said the calculated move to forgo the poppy was the As Ever founder's "latest act of royal revenge."
"This looks anything but accidental," the insider noted, adding: "Meghan knows exactly what the poppy stands for – she's worn it before and understands its importance to Harry. Skipping it at such a glitzy Hollywood event feels like a deliberate move to rub it in the royals' faces."
A former palace staffer also believes that Meghan knew what she was doing by not wearing a poppy to Jenner's party or the Baby2Baby Gala, which she and Prince Harry also attended that day, and we should indeed be reading into what it means. "This wasn't a mistake – it was deliberate," they said.
"Meghan's clearly embracing her identity as a Hollywood star, not a royal. It's her way of signaling to the family that she's done following their traditions and expectations," they added.
Was Prince Harry 'Embarrassed' And 'Uncomfortable?'
Another source, said to be a friend of the father-of-two, said that Prince Harry must have been upset by his wife's decision to not wear a poppy – and his feelings were hard to ignore!
"Harry treats the poppy as something sacred – it represents honor, loss, and duty," they reportedly said, adding: "Watching Meghan arrive next to him without wearing one was uncomfortable. He's acutely aware of public perception, and the thought of being embarrassed like that really gets to him."
"Snubbing the wearing of the poppy might seem trivial, but in this context, it's huge. Meghan's fully aware it would upset Harry and be viewed in Britain as disrespectful," another source said. "It's her way of showing she's finished with royal obligations – and she's not hiding it."
Defense For Meghan Markle
However, there are people who have defended the With Love, Meghan star, as they thought there wasn't anything spiteful behind her choice to forgo the poppy. Instead, they believe her choice to not wear it was simply sartorially motivated, insisting that she thought it wouldn't go with her Bond-girl themed ensemble.
A Los Angeles insider reportedly told RadarOnline: "Meghan was focused on fitting the Bond theme – it was a Hollywood party, not a royal ceremony. There was no intent to stir things up or make a political statement."
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Other Meghan fans may also excuse her for not wearing a poppy – which she has since said was because they're not widely available in the U.S., unlike in Commonwealth countries – because she posted a tribute on November 11th.
"As my husband says, 'Once served. Always serving,'" she captioned a video of Prince Harry in Afghanistan, alongside a recent picture of him with a fellow war veteran. "Thank you to all who served, sacrificed, and continue to serve. Honoring you on Veterans Day. And every day."
