Prince Harry's grand gesture to Queen Elizabeth despite missing birthday events

The Duke of Sussex sent a floral arrangement to the grave of Queen Elizabeth II in remembrance of what would have been her 100th birthday.

Prince Harry chose not to partake in today's events, which included a tour of the British Museum and a gathering at Marble Hall.

Nonetheless, he ensured flowers were delivered to his grandmother's gravesite, according to Town and Country.

Rather than crossing over to the UK, after a brief tour of Australia last week, Harry chose to commemorate the day in private at his home in Montecito, California.

The floral offering is part of a tradition where the Duke honors his grandmother's legacy at her gravesite.

On the first anniversary of her passing in 2023, Harry quietly visited St George's Chapel during a trip to the UK.

He returned once more in 2025, offering his respects on the third anniversary of her passing while he was in the country.

The Duke has both personally presented flowers and arranged for their delivery on several occasions over the years.

After the Queen's passing in September 2022, Harry shared a moving statement expressing his thanks.

"I am eternally thankful for all our initial encounters—starting with my earliest childhood memories with you, to greeting you as my Commander-in-Chief, to when you first met my dear wife and embraced your cherished great-grandchildren," he expressed.

The Duke also mentioned treasuring their time spent together throughout his life.

"I hold dear these moments shared with you, and many other unique occasions," he went on. "You are already greatly missed, not just by us, but across the globe."

In his memoir Spare, Harry detailed the heartbreaking moment he learned of his grandmother's death while on a flight to Balmoral, discovering the news through the BBC website after getting an urgent message from Meghan.

He recalled their last conversation by phone just a few days before, during which they talked about her health and joked that the dry grass at Frogmore looked like his thinning hair.

The Queen met her great-grandchildren Archie and Lilibet during the Platinum Jubilee in June 2022.

Harry remembered in his book how she described them as the "sweetest children", having anticipated them to be more "boisterous" given their upbringing in America.

However, according to royal biographers, the connection had somewhat deteriorated after the Sussexes chose to step down from their royal duties in 2020.

Robert Hardman, author of Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story, remarked: "To the Queen, it seemed Harry and Meghan had been given everything but chose to forsake it all."

He added that the monarch was left "deeply hurt and very saddened by a missed chance",