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Meghan & Harry Make Surprise Remembrance Day Appearance After Request to Have Wreaths Laid in U.K. Is Reportedly Denied

Remembrance Sunday looked quite different this year for the royal family. And although Meghan Markle and Prince Harry couldn’t celebrate with their loved ones in the United Kingdom, they made sure to honor the holiday privately in Los Angeles.

Over the weekend, while Queen Elizabeth and the working members of the royal family gathered at the Cenotaph in London to pay tribute to late British troops, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex paid a visit to the Los Angeles National Cemetery.

“It was important to the Duke and Duchess to be able to personally recognize Remembrance in their own way, to pay tribute to those who have served and to those who gave their lives,” a source said per Town & Country.

During the event, the duke and duchess each laid flowers (picked by Markle from their personal garden) and wreaths on the graves of two commonwealth soldiers—one who served in the Royal Australian Air Force and another who served in the Royal Canadian Artillery.

The private honoring of the holiday reportedly comes after Harry’s request to have ceremonial wreaths of poppies laid at the national memorial in the U.K. (something he has done since the age of 25) along with those placed by the working members of the royal family, including Her Majesty, Prince Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton.

According to The Sunday Times, the request was denied on the “grounds that he is no longer representing the monarchy.” However, it’s important to note that neither reps for Buckingham Palace nor reps for Meghan and Harry have publicly addressed these reports.

Remembrance Day is an event that honors members of the Armed Forces who have died in the line of duty (think of it as the U.S. equivalent to Memorial Day). Each year, the royal family celebrates the holiday—which falls on Wednesday, November 11—by attending a handful of engagements and events.

So, while their plans for Remembrance Sunday may not have gone as planned, we’re glad they were able to celebrate in their own, unique way.