Duke of Sussex branded ‘hypocrite’ over letter to honour Prince Philip
Harry’s latest attempt at extending an olive branch to King Charles appears to have backfired.
According to GB News, a friend of the Duke of Sussex quietly placed a letter on his behalf at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, where the King and Queen led the VJ Day 80th anniversary service on August 15.
The note paid tribute to his late grandfather, Prince Philip, who served in the Pacific campaign during World War II. In the letter, Harry wrote:
“My late grandfather, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, served in the Pacific campaign. He spoke with quiet humility about those years, but I know how deeply he respected all who stood beside him in that theatre of war.”
But Palace insiders were unimpressed. “What hypocrisy,” one friend of the Royal Family told the Daily Mail. “Harry hurt his grandfather deeply during the final year of his life.”
The criticism recalls the fallout from Harry and Meghan Markle’s Oprah interview, which aired just weeks before Philip’s death in 2021.
Officials also saw the tribute as an attempt to “hijack” the national service, noting that other working royals, including William and Catherine, deliberately refrained from leaving wreaths to keep the focus on the King and Queen.
