After a few days spent appearing on panels and hitting the red carpet in New York City, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made a short trip to New Jersey on Thursday afternoon, where they visited Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. To observe Veterans Day, the couple traveled to the base to speak with U.S. service members and their spouses.
During their meeting at the tri-service base, which is outside of Trenton, they hosted a luncheon and met with representatives of all six military branches to discuss mental health and community building. November 11 also marked Remembrance Day in the U.K. and the Commonwealth, and the couple both wore poppy lapel pins to honor the tradition of Harry’s home country. According to the couple’s spokesperson, the duke and the duchess committed to celebrating both holidays this week by remembering and reflecting on service members, veterans, and military families.
Prince Harry served in the British Armed Forces for 10 years, retiring in 2015 at the rank of major, and has supported veterans charities ever since. In 2013, he founded the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded service members meant to inspire recovery.
During a speech at the Intrepid Museum’s Salute to Freedom Gala on Wednesday, he shared details about his experience in the service. “My experience in the military made me who I am today, and I will always be grateful for the people I got to serve with—wherever in the world we were,” he said. “As we honor and reflect on Remembrance Day in the UK, which shares a date tomorrow with Veterans Day here in the US, my hope is for all of us to continue to support the wellbeing and recognize the value of our troops, veterans, and the entire military and service family. We and they are better for it.”
According to Page Six, the couple eschewed a hotel room during their trip to New York City, their second this year, and stayed in a luxury apartment at 860 United Nations Plaza instead. “They were staying in a friend’s four-bedroom apartment with river views,” a source told the tabloid, adding that they left on Thursday. “They had eight bodyguards and a surveillance van on site — and they’d go in and out through the basement.”
As for the rest of Harry’s family, they are honoring Remembrance Day on Sunday at the traditional cenotaph service. On Thursday, the palace announced that Queen Elizabeth would make her first public appearance since her brief hospital stay last month, accompanied by Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton, and more members of the royal family.
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