Prince Harry feels 'deep regret' over his part in D-Day commemorations, royal expert reveals

Prince Harry is believed to have found this year's D-Day commemorations a 'bittersweet experience', according to a royal expert.

The Duke of Sussex, who stepped back from royal duties in 2020 including his patronage to the military, is said to harbour "deep regrets" that he wasn't able to participate in the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing 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."

Prince Harry has reportedly missed out on another significant event this weekend, as he did not attend the wedding of his long-time friend and godfather to his son Archie, Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster. The ceremony took place in Chester on Friday.

It's speculated that Harry chose to avoid the occasion to prevent a potential encounter with his older brother, Prince William, amidst ongoing royal tensions.

The Times reports that Harry was indeed invited to Hugh's nuptials but decided to stay away following a "civilised understanding" reached during a phone call with the groom. This decision allowed William to carry out his duties as an usher at the ceremony, where he was spotted entering the Chester cathedral through a side door on Friday.

An insider also revealed to the New York Post that "Harry actually got a 'save the date' card a few months ago but called Hugh and said it would be too awkward if he and Meghan Markle attended, so he made his apologies and Hugh understood."

This isn't the first time Harry has missed a friend's wedding. He and wife Meghan were notably absent from the wedding of Harry's former military comrade Jack Mann and his wife Isabella Clark in Suffolk last summer.

Among the guests that day was Harry's friend Thomas van Straubenzee, who is the godfather of his niece, Princess Charlotte.