Prince Harry and Meghan Markle both wore Royal British Legion poppies as they visited the United States Navy SEALs in San Diego last night and helped cut the ribbon on the construction of a new fitness center for veterans.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined the Navy SEAL Foundation in attending the official opening of a new training base known as the West Coast Warrior Fitness Program Facility ahead of Veterans Day on November 11.
Meghan and Harry watched as dignitaries cut the ribbon – the duchess waved to the small crowd before entering the building for a tour without saying a word.
Previously, the Duchess of Sussex also wore a $1,490 Carolina Herrera poppy embroidered cardigan – a symbol of remembrance for all those who lost their lives in active service from the start of World War I to the present day.
The couple met veterans, service members and their families at Camp Pendleton.
Across the Atlantic, tensions with Harry’s family continued to simmer, with experts claiming “the rift in the royal family couldn’t be greater.” The Duke of Sussex’s spokesman had denied reports that Harry had turned down his father’s 75th birthday party next week, claiming he was never invited.
Prince Harry also filmed a stand-up comedy video for a charity event in New York on Monday night. A video was released in Britain just before his father set off to give his first royal speech to Parliament.
And then yesterday in Singapore after receiving his Earthshot Awards, Prince William made a royal plea, insisting he wants to “go further” than his family and bring about real change for the causes he supports.
Previously, the Duchess of Sussex also wore a $1,490 Carolina Herrera cardigan embroidered with poppies – the symbol of remembrance – at Camp Pendleton in San Diego yesterday
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex then attended an event for injured United States Navy SEALs in San Diego
The royal couple attended two events yesterday ahead of Veterans Day in the US
Meghan and Harry helped cut the ribbon on a new military
Meghan then waved to the small crowd and media who had gathered to watch the ribbon cutting
Harry spoke to organizers of the event where he visited United States Navy SEALs in San Diego last night
The Prince of Wales praised the work of other members of the royal family in bringing important causes “to the fore”, but stressed that he wanted to do more than “just” be a supporter.
William’s comments at the end of his visit to Singapore are likely to cause a stir at Buckingham Palace as he continues to lay out a vision for the future of the monarchy.
Meghan and Harry’s visit to the Pendleton naval base was announced on the website of their foundation, Archewell, on Wednesday.
Archewell said they “spent the morning with veterans and active military members and their loved ones at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California.”
The pair were pictured at a discussion table with about a dozen people and learned about the work of Operation Bigs, a mentoring program launched in 2004, according to Archewell.
The program connects military children and families with others who have had similar experiences.
Archewell said the Camp Pendleton-launched company has served more than 3,000 Navy and Marine Corps children over the past nine years and has expanded to more than 30 affiliates across the country.
Harry, wearing a red Remembrance Day poppy on his lapel, and Meghan, wearing a $1,490 navy blue Carolina Herrera cardigan embroidered with red poppies, were photographed speaking to people on base and discussing the Work on site was informed.
Meghan paired her wool cardigan with a black pencil skirt.
The 39-year-old prince spent a decade in the British Army and completed two tours in Afghanistan.
He and his wife, 42, have previously spent Veterans Day at military locations: in 2021 they were at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey and in 2020 they visited a military cemetery in Los Angeles.
The Duchess of Sussex, wearing a $1,490 Carolina Herrera poppy cardigan, is seen at Camp Pendleton in California on Wednesday
Pictured is Prince Harry chatting to a guest at Wednesday’s event with a Remembrance Day poppy on his lapel
The couple heard about the work of Operation Big, which began in Pendleton in 2004 and aims to provide military children with mentors to help them overcome life’s challenges
Last year, Harry visited Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
After their visit to Camp Pendleton, Meghan and Harry then traveled to downtown San Diego to open a new gym for Navy SEALs and combat-wounded veterans.
The 20,000-square-foot Warrior Fitness Program West Coast Facility is the second location to open, following the opening of a facility in Virginia Beach in 2017.
The foundation has helped more than 800 active and veteran SEALs and aircrew in surface warfare.
According to The Times of San Diego, both sites now have advanced technology, equipment and staff to help with physical and mental recovery.
“We are very pleased that the Duke and Duchess are here,” said Tony Duynstee, a former SEAL who spoke for the SEAL Foundation.
“It is a great honor for them to be here for the commissioning.”
Prince Harry gives a video address at a comedy event for US veterans on Monday, joking about his behavior and media scrutiny. He wore four medals. The first was an Afghanistan campaign medal, then a 2002 Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal, a 2012 Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal and a 2022 Queen’s Platinum Jubilee medal (numbered left to right on his chest).
William walks along a path during a TreeTop Walk at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve in Singapore yesterday
Harry’s speech was delivered just before his father, King Charles and Queen Camilla, set off on the Diamond Jubilee State Coach from Buckingham Palace to Parliament House for the State Opening of Parliament in London this morning (pictured).
Duynstee said her goal is to offer holistic recovery programs.
“It’s not just physical,” he said Wednesday as he showed the media the location.
“It’s not just about shoulders, knees and back. It’s so much more than that.
“It’s mental health, it’s emotional health.” “It’s about getting people back into the community and teaching them the right habits, starting with the basics like diet and sleep.”
Duynstee noted that SEALs have been conducting “very heavy and sustained combat missions” for at least 20 years.
Those who use the site have access to conditioning coaches, performance dietitians, speech pathologists, chiropractors and myofascial release and breathing experts, the newspaper reported.
Experts will address topics such as chronic pain, cognitive decline, proper nutrition, sleep disorders and social reconnection.
It will also help SEALs transition back to civilian life
“The transition is so hard,” Duynstee said.
King Charles III led other members of the royal family, including the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal, to the memorial service in London last year
“I transitioned about 15 years ago and you have to find your purpose again. And that is a major.
“So when they come back here, they reunite with their colleagues in the gym – and that spirit, the morale, is a huge boost that goes beyond just learning how to recover physically – and so much more if it about emotional and mental health.”
He said the knock-on effects were enormous.
If you can stop chronic pain, “that makes the marriage better and the parent a better father.” And so there’s a direct impact on the family and well-being,” he said.
And Duynstee praised the two for their work in the mental health field.
He said they have “really destigmatized the mental health issues of those who have completed military service, and they’ve done that with courage, and it’s just a huge validation to have them here.”