Meghan sends wreath of local flowers and a personal note
MEGHAN MARKLE sent a handwritten note which her husband Prince Harry attached to a personalised wreath in honour of
Prince Philip.
The pregnant 39-year-old did not fly to Britain to attend the service on the advice of doctors, but watched it at 7am local time on a special live feed in the couple’s $15m mansion on the Californian riviera.
The Duchess of Sussex, who is expecting a girl and is believed to be seven months pregnant, was said by sources to be ‘honouring the Duke in her own private way with toddler son Archie’.
The wreath was designed by Willow Crossley, who arranged the flowers for the evening party which followed Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018 and also those for Archie’s christening.
Meghan chose locally sourced flowers for the wreath, including acanthus mollis (bear’s breeches), the national flower of Greece to represent Philip’s heritage; and eryngium (sea holly), to represent the Royal Marines.
It also featured campanula for ‘gratitude and everlasting love’, rosemary ‘to signify remembrance’, lavender for
‘devotion’ and roses in honour of June being Philip’s birth month, according to sources close to Ms Markle.
The live feed of the ceremony was set up for mourners who would have been invited were it not for the limit placed on the number of mourners by Covid-19 restrictions.
In Montecito, which Harry and Meghan now call home, some residents said they had watched the funeral while others were not interested.
Chrysta Gordon said: ‘I won’t be watching any of it. I don’t follow this kind of stuff.’
But Brian Bush, owner of a local lighting company, hoped the event would help to heal any rift between William and Harry.
‘I’m interested in the royal family because they’re the face of [Britain], and America has a strong relationship with England. We gotta stick together,’ he said.
‘Family stuff is tough.
You’ve got to hope these guys work it out.’
Like many in Montecito – a two-hour drive from Los Angeles and one of the wealthiest enclaves in America – Mr Bush has yet to see his celebrity neighbours.
‘We’re used to celebrities here so they won’t get bothered,’ he said. ‘I’m surprised they’ve not been seen about more in the nine months they’ve been here.’