Meghan Markle’s choice to wear a red poppy pin during the grand inauguration of a new Navy fitness center in San Diego has sparked a debate on social media.
The event took place on November 8th and Prince Harry accompanied her.
The couple attended the opening ceremony at the state-of-the-art Warrior Fitness Program facility in Danton, San Diego, alongside members of the Navy SEAL Foundation.
Meghan, dressed in a black pantsuit, accessorized her outfit with a black banner and a bright red poppy pin.
Harry also wore a poppy pinned to his jacket lapel, as it is customary in the UK to wear poppies throughout November to honor fallen soldiers.
While Remembrance Sunday, a major national ceremony in the UK, commemorates fallen warriors, some online users have criticized Meghan for wearing a poppy in November instead of May, questioning her timing and decision.
Additionally, some Americans pointed out that poppies are more commonly worn during Memorial Day rather than Veterans Day in November.
On Twitter, disapproving comments flooded in, with one person accusing Meghan of stealing the show by wearing a poppy at an unrelated event.
Another Twitter user claimed that Meghan was wearing a poppy pin exclusively available through the Royal British Legion.
However, this claim remains unsupported, as Meghan’s pin does not match any of the Legion’s current offerings.
Furthermore, Meghan faced backlash for honoring American veterans by wearing a British poppy.
It is worth noting that Prince Harry has been appointed Global Ambassador for the British charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which supports children who have lost parents in the military.
In honor of Remembrance Sunday, Harry sent a message of support to the organization, emphasizing his longstanding relationship with them and his commitment to serving as their Global Ambassador to help grieving military children.
Despite previously expressing that titles hold little significance to him, some critics in the UK objected to Harry mentioning his royal title in the letter.
This led to claims that, despite his sincere dedication to humanitarian causes, he was impersonating a working royal.
In other news, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle find themselves walking a delicate tightrope in Hollywood.
Jessica Taylor, writing for the Daily Mail, highlighted the balancing act that the couple is engaged in since moving to Montecito, California after stepping down as senior royals.
They have been frequently seen socializing with a new circle of friends, including Katy Perry, Beyoncé, David and Victoria Beckham, Clooney, Idris Elba, and Edward N. However, according to Taylor, these celebrity pals are treading carefully, trying their best not to take sides in the ongoing rift between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family, which shows no sign of healing anytime soon.
