Neither is expected at the service in London’s Whitehall on November 8 after stepping back from official duties and the military patronages that go with being a working royal.
Sources involved in planning the event say the Duke of Sussex, 36, and the Duke of York, 60, are unlikely to be asked to lay wreaths while they no longer undertake official engagements for the Queen.
Harry, who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan in 2007-8 and 2012-13, quit his royal role in March to move to America with his wife Meghan. None of his military appointments will be replaced until at least March next year.
Andrew, who served as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot in the 1982 Falklands War, stood down temporarily in November last year following a disastrous TV interview about his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
He denies any wrongdoing. It means the Queen, who was in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Second World War, and her cousin the Duke of Kent, 85, who was an Army officer in Northern Ireland, are the only royals to have served during a conflict.
This year’s scaled-back service at the Cenotaph may also be the first not to include WWII veterans since 1945, because of the pandemic.
A Whitehall source quipped: “Would you want your grandad to go?” The Royal British Legion is encouraging the public to watch the service on TV.
