The meaning of the red poppy badge in the British Royal Family

Every November, members of the British royal family unite in choosing a significant accessory – the red poppy hairpin.

Kate Middleton, Prince William, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, King Charles, Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family have historically worn these badges every November, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex even wearing the badge after stepping down as working members of the royal family in 2020. When members of the royal family step out for Remembrance Sunday on Sunday, November 10, including reportedly the Princess of Wales, they will all likely wear a badge attached to their clothing.

Since 1921, the poppy has been used in memory of military personnel who died in wars. The red flower is primarily associated with Britain and the Commonwealth on Remembrance Day on 11 November, and the poppy symbol is believed to have originated from John McCrae’s World War I poem “In Flanders Fields”. the stanza reads:

Poppies are blooming in Flanders fields.

Between the crosses, row after row,

It marks our place in the sky too

The larks, still boldly singing, fly

Barely audible among the guns below.

In the UK, poppy pins are sold in stores. Royal British Legion to help raise money for veterans. Although less common, poppies are also used in the United States: the Veterans of Foreign Wars held the first nationwide distribution of commemorative poppies before Memorial Day in 1922, and the American Legion Auxiliary distributes paper poppies in exchange for donations on both Memorial Day in May and and on Veterans Memorial Day. Day in November.

November historically sees members of the royal family taking part in several events to honor members of the military, culminating in Remembrance Sunday, also known as the National Service of Remembrance, on November 10 this year. The family will gather for the service at the Cenotaph war memorial in London’s Whitehall, where they will take part in a ceremony with a two-minute silence, the laying of poppy wreaths and a solemn march past thousands of veterans.

Remembrance Sunday takes place on the second Sunday in November each year and is a national observance in memory of British and Commonwealth service personnel who have died in conflict or war.

As she continues her gradual return to royal work after announcing on September 9 that she will be finishing chemotherapy, Princess Kate, 42, is expected to be at Remembrance Sunday this weekend. In 2022, Kate shared a special moment with a boy named Akeem during a visit to Colham Manor Children’s Center November 9. Kate made the pledge on behalf of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, of which she is a patron.

“My name is Katherine,” she told Akeem, kneeling down to talk face-to-face with the boy, then 3, after he asked her what her name was. “Okay,” Akim replied simply, drawing laughter from the gathered crowd.

After Akeem showed interest in Kate’s poppy pin, she offered to give it to him. – Do you know what this is for? she asked, removing a pin from her coat. “This is to honor the memory of all the soldiers who died in the war. That’s all – this is for you.”

Even after moving from the UK to the US in 2020, Meghan, 43, and Harry, 40, continued to wear the symbolic accessory. In 2021 Megan wore a poppy pin while talking on New York Times DealBook Summit in November. That same month, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wore poppy pins during a glamorous party appearance. Gala concert “Salute to Freedom”.

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Last year Meghan and Harry both wore pins with poppies during a surprise walk in San Diego in support of the Navy SEALs and Megan put the pin back on while dining with friend Kelly McKee Seiffen at Pane e Vino in Santa Barbara.

This year, as is the attendance of the Princess of Wales, so is the attendance of Queen Camilla, who is recovering from a chest infection. The palace said that The Queen hoped she could attend Royal family remembrance events this weekend after missing the November 7 remembrance event at Westminster Abbey.