Meghan sends a wreath – and watches on live TV feed at 7am
THE Duchess of Sussex sent a handwritten note which her husband Prince Harry attached to a personalised wreath in honour of the Duke of Edinburgh.
The pregnant Duchess 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 at the couple’s £11 million mansion on the Californian riviera.
Meghan, who is expecting a girl and who 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 fashionable flowers for the wreath, including acanthus mo ll is (bear’s breeches), the national flower of Greece, to symbolise 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 the Duchess.
The live feed of the ceremony was set up for those who would have been invited were it not for the limit placed on the number of mourners by Covid-19 restrictions. In Montecito yesterday, some residents said t hey 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 the rift between William and Harry.
‘I’m interested in the Royal Family because they’re the face of your country, 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 twohour drive from Los Angeles and one of the wealthiest enclaves in America – Mr Bush has yet to see his celebrity neighbours.
‘ I’d love to get to know them. 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.’