In early November, members of the Royal Family of England display a poppy on their clothing. This is a symbolic sign.
Poppies to remember. On Wednesday, November 4, Queen Elizabeth II made a notable appearance just a few days before Remembrance Day. She went, alone and masked, to Westminster Abbey to pay homage to the soldiers who died during the First World War. For this event, Harry and William’s grandmother was dressed in a black robe, symbol of mourning, and on it was a poppy. A few days later, at a second commemoration, Harry, Meghan Markle, Charles, William, Kate Middleton, Camilla Parker Bowles and Elizabeth II were commemorated. And the flower was present on each outfit: this one has a very special meaning.
Every year, at the same period, the Royal British Legion (RBL) launches the Poppy Campaign in England and some Commonwealth countries. This association, founded in 1921, provides financial support to the families of former British army veterans and their families. And the principle is simple: a donation in exchange for a poppy. This is why the little paper flower blooms on the clothes of millions of Britons, including those of the royal family.
Why the poppy?
In May 1915, a lieutenant named Joh McCrae wrote a poem he entitled In Flanders Fields, Au champ d’honneur in French. In it, he remembers the flowering of poppies on the edges of the trenches but also on the graves of the soldiers who died in battle. Three years later, Moina Michael, a member of the YWCA (World Young Women’s Christian Association) came across this inscription. Touched by it, she decided to promote the use of poppies as a symbol of memory. The poppy is also used in Canada.