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Meghan Markle left a handwritten card on a wreath for Prince Philip’s funeral

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Updated on April 17, 2021

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One member of the royal family was noticeably missing from St. George’s Chapel, where the funeral was held, as Britain’s royal family assembled to celebrate the life of Prince Philip, who died at the age of 99.

Duchess Meghan, the wife of Philip’s grandson, Prince Harry, is expecting their second child and was not been cleared by her doctor to fly to the United Kingdom at this time.

Meghan Markle, however, left a handwritten card on a wreath at St George’s Chapel for the Duke of Edinburgh.

Willow Crossley, who planned the flowers for the couple’s wedding celebration and Archie’s christening, had particular orders for the wreath.

Meghan and Harry hand-picked the flowers for their tribute, which included Acanthus mollis (Bear’s Breeches), the Greek national flower, to reflect Philip’s ancestry, and Eryngium (sea holly) to represent the Royal Marines.

Since Harry and Meghan stood down from their senior royal positions last year, this is the first time Harry has seen his family in person. The reunion also comes only weeks after Harry and Meghan gave Oprah Winfrey an emotional tell-all interview in which the pair exposed royal family strains and Meghan revealed she was suicidal during her tenure as a royal.

Although Meghan’s decision not to attend Philip’s funeral in the United Kingdom fueled rumors about a rift between the Sussexes and Harry’s relatives, Omid Scobie, Finding Freedom author, said Meghan’s decision could not be interpreted as a snub.

The coffin was also decorated with a wreath of white lilies and roses, white freesia, white wax flower, white sweet peas, and jasmine, as well as the late royal’s own standard, his naval helmet, and sword, which were all individually selected by The Queen.

Thanks to the worldwide pandemic, the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral was limited on Saturday, but he was honoured for his “unwavering loyalty” to the Queen.

The Dean of Windsor offered a bidding in which he was commemorated for his “service to the Nation and the Commonwealth” as well as his “kindness, humour, and humanity.” The longest-serving consort did not want a eulogy or other readings from royal family members at his service.