Prince Harry makes huge gesture to Queen Elizabeth despite not attending birthday commemorations

Ben McCaffrey
Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:53:05 +0000

The Duke of Sussex sent flowers to Queen Elizabeth II's grave on what would have been her 100th birthday.

Prince Harry did not attend the formalities today, including a visit to the British Museum and a party in Marble Hall.

However, he did ensure a special delivery to his grandmother's burial site, according to Town and Country.

Her Majesty rests in the King George VI Memorial Chapel alongside her parents, her husband Prince Philip, and her sister Princess Margaret.

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Rather than making the trip across to the UK, following a four-day tour of Australia last week, Harry opted to spend the milestone occasion privately at his California residence in Montecito.

The floral tribute follows an established pattern of the Duke honouring his grandmother's memory at her final resting place.

On the first anniversary of her passing in 2023, Harry made a private visit to St George's Chapel during a trip to Britain.

He returned once more in 2025, paying his respects on the third anniversary of her death while in the country.

The Duke has both personally delivered flowers and arranged for them to be sent on numerous occasions over the years.

Following the Queen's death in September 2022, Harry issued a heartfelt tribute expressing his gratitude.

"I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings—from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren," he wrote.

The Duke also spoke of treasuring the moments they shared together throughout his life.

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"I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between," he continued. "You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over."

In his memoir Spare, Harry recounted the devastating moment he discovered his grandmother had died while aboard a flight to Balmoral, learning the news via the BBC website after receiving an urgent text from Meghan.

He described their final telephone conversation just four days prior, during which they discussed her health and joked about the parched lawn at Frogmore resembling his balding head.

The Queen had met her great-grandchildren Archie and Lilibet during the Platinum Jubilee in June 2022.

Harry recalled in his book how she described them as the "sweetest children", having expected them to be more "rambunctious" given their American upbringing.

However, according to royal authors, the relationship had somewhat soured between the two after the Sussexes relinquished their positions as working royals in 2020.

Commentator and author of Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story, Robert Hardman, claimed: "As far as the Queen was concerned, Harry and Meghan had everything handed to them but wanted to throw it all away."

He added the monarch was left "enormously upset and terribly sad about a wasted opportunity".