Prince Harry has reluctantly accepted that he will be unable to attend Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph and other military events despite his Army record.

Although the Duke of Sussex and his family have returned to the UK, they will not be working royals and therefore will not receive invitations to attend the national remembrance service or other state events such as Trooping the Colour.

And while palace aides have previously said that he could apply to join the 10,000 veterans marching down Whitehall past the imposing Cenotaph war memorial, such an appearance would cause a huge logistical and security headache.

It is clear that Harry, who spent 10 years in the armed forces and did two tours of duty in Afghanistan, would want to attend the Cenotaph but he appears to have accepted there is no point lobbying his father or anyone else about it – a move that could be seen as a conciliatory approach towards his family after his return to Britain.

The fifth-in-line to the throne is likely to mark Remembrance Sunday in November privately.

A source close to the Duke of Sussex told The i Paper: “Would he like to attend the Cenotaph? Would he like to pay his respects in the proper way that people do on Remembrance Sunday and on Armistice Day? Of course he would.

“He served his country and has the deepest gratitude and respect for those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Harry’s final day of public appearances in the US included a trip to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and honour the fallen.

But the same source made it clear that the Duke of Sussex recognises that under the current system, members of the Royal Family attending the Cenotaph are there in their capacity as representatives of the monarch and the military patronages they hold.

“I think that’s very much what we would call a constitutional event rather than a family occasion,” they said.

For the same reason, as a private individual with no official responsibilities, Harry is said to also accept that he, Meghan and their children will not be invited to Trooping the Colour, the state’s annual celebration of the King’s official birthday.

Harry’s apparent acceptance of the situation was described as “significant” by the royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, who suggested it was a sign that he really did want to reconcile with his family.

“This is really sensitive because Harry and he who cannot be named (Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor) are the only two who have served in a conflict.

“It’s something he feels very strongly about,” Fitzwilliams added, recalling Harry’s upset in 2020 when his family refused a request for a wreath to be laid at the memorial in his name on Remembrance Sunday.

“It clearly shows he wants to reach out. I think this is an emollient message.”

Veterans’ march would be ‘distraction’

For the past few years, senior palace officials have made it clear that neither Harry nor his disgraced uncle, Mountbatten-Windsor, would be invited to attend the Cenotaph because they no longer undertake official duties on behalf of the monarchy.

But they could apply to join the thousands of veterans who walk past the memorial and end their march in Horse Guards Parade after parading past a member of the Royal Family taking the salute.

Applications are submitted to regimental associations and other military organisations or the Royal British Legion. Harry, who reached the rank of captain and served as an Army Air Corps Apache helicopter pilot, has missed the deadline to apply to march in the parade this year.

Fitzwilliams, a former editor of The International Who’s Who, said Harry marching in Whitehall with other veterans could overshadow the day. “It would be a partial if not a total distraction,” he added.

The source ruled it out anyway, arguing it would be difficult for him to ever do that. “Security would be a nightmare,” he said.