Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom and Canada is always a solemn occasion, marked by traditions, tributes, and the collective honoring of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in military conflicts. But this November, the commemorations were shadowed by a series of controversies and heartfelt stories that rippled from London to the small villages of Canada and England, drawing in royals, broadcasters, and everyday citizens alike.
The BBC, Britain’s storied national broadcaster, found itself at the center of a storm after a high-profile blunder during its Armistice Day and Remembrance Day broadcasts. On November 14, 2025, the BBC issued a public apology for repeatedly referring to Catherine, Princess of Wales, by her former name, Kate Middleton. The mistake, made during hours of live coverage fronted by presenter Rajini Vaidyanathan, drew swift criticism from both Members of Parliament and viewers. The broadcaster admitted, “During our coverage of memorials to commemorate Armistice Day, we mistakenly referred to Catherine, Princess of Wales, as Kate Middleton; these were errors during hours of live broadcasting for which we apologise. Throughout our Armistice Day coverage more broadly, we referred to Catherine by her correct title.”
Jim Shannon, MP for Strangford, took to social media to voice his frustration. “She has not been ‘Kate Middleton’ since 2011. Get it right,” he posted, echoing the sentiments of many royal watchers. Catherine, who became Duchess of Cambridge upon her marriage to Prince William in 2011, assumed the title Princess of Wales in 2022 after King Charles conferred the honor following Queen Elizabeth II’s death. Yet, despite this formal change, “Kate Middleton” remains the most commonly searched term associated with her, especially in the US and online, according to recent Google Trends analyses cited by BBC News.
Some viewers dismissed the BBC’s apology as insufficient, with a few suggesting the mistakes were intentional or that the broadcaster assumed the public would not notice. The incident highlighted not only the pressures of live broadcasting but also the enduring public fascination with royal titles and the challenges of keeping pace with changing protocols.
During the Remembrance weekend, Catherine participated in the traditional commemorations, observing a minute’s silence and laying a wreath accompanied by a handwritten message signed simply, “Catherine.” Her message read: “In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, we will remember them.”
The BBC’s woes did not end there. Just a day before, on November 13, the broadcaster had issued another apology—this time to former US President Donald Trump. Trump had accused the BBC of misleadingly editing footage of his January 6, 2021 speech, even threatening a $1 billion lawsuit. The BBC denied defaming him and said there were no plans to rebroadcast the program, which was produced by a third-party company. The fallout was dramatic: BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News Chief Deborah Turness both resigned, citing the scandal’s damage to the organization’s credibility.
While the BBC’s missteps dominated headlines, across the Atlantic and in the English countryside, Remembrance Day was marked by poignant acts of cross-continental remembrance and connection. On June 25, 2025, more than 90 students in Liphook, England, gathered to honor the memory of two Columbia Valley men—Ernest and Ron Ede—who served in World War I and World War II, respectively. Liphook, a village about 40 kilometers north of Portsmouth, has deep Canadian military ties. During both world wars, it hosted a Canadian Army camp, and more than 300 Canadian soldiers are buried nearby.
This year’s commemorations in Liphook were particularly special. Anne, Princess Royal and sister to King Charles, attended the Canada Day events, including a visit to Liphook C. of E. Junior School. There, students sang the Canadian anthem and dramatized the story of Ernest and Ron Ede—a story that bridges continents and generations. Ernest, born in Liphook in 1891, immigrated to Canada in 1912 and later enlisted in the Canadian Army’s 54th Battalion. He returned to Europe to fight, was injured at the infamous Battle of Passchendaele, and while recovering in England, married his nurse, Winnifred. Their son, Ron, born in Liphook in 1923, followed in his father’s footsteps, enlisting at 17 and serving in World War II before returning to Canada, where he and his wife Isabelle became pillars of the Columbia Valley community.
Their legacy is tangible. Ernest’s nickname, “Dapper,” lives on in Dapper’s Landing restaurant in Fairmont Hot Springs. Ron and Isabelle spent years working for and eventually owning the Valley Echo newspaper. Ernest passed away in 1974, and Ron in 2003, but their stories continue to resonate. Liphook C. of E. Year Four teacher Jenny Brown reached out to Deb Ede, Ernest’s granddaughter and Ron’s daughter, earlier this year to learn more about the men. On November 10, Brown sent a follow-up message, along with videos and photos of the students’ June tribute. Deb Ede admitted, “It was a huge surprise to me to see how much they’d done.” Her brother Bob recalled a vivid memory from his childhood: in the 1950s and 1960s, their grandfather Ernest would sometimes remove shrapnel from his leg with a pocket knife, keeping the metal pieces as souvenirs—a stark, personal reminder of war’s lasting scars.
Meanwhile, royal family dynamics added another layer of intrigue to Remembrance events. Prince Harry, who has often been at the center of media storms, traveled to Canada in mid-November 2025 for several veterans events with the Canadian military charity True Patriot Love Foundation. However, his decision to attend Kris Jenner’s star-studded James-Bond-themed birthday party in Los Angeles on the eve of Remembrance Sunday sparked backlash among royal fans. Some excused his absence from the UK’s commemorations, pointing to his work with Canadian veterans, but the trip itself became controversial. Reports surfaced suggesting Harry had not informed the royal palace in advance about his Canada visit, though his representatives denied this, attributing any miscommunications to security concerns and the charity’s arrangements. According to The SheFinds, the controversy could jeopardize Prince Harry’s anticipated reunion with King Charles and the rest of the royal family.
As Remembrance Day unfolded across the UK and Canada, the stories that emerged—of on-air gaffes and resignations, of schoolchildren honoring distant heroes, of royal family tensions—reminded everyone that remembrance is not confined to a single day or a single place. It’s a living, evolving act, shaped by memory, tradition, and sometimes, by very human mistakes and surprises.
In a world where headlines can overshadow history, the enduring acts of tribute in villages and cities, and the personal stories passed down through families, continue to give Remembrance Day its true meaning.