A photo in this morning’s paper of Prince Charles and his wife Camilla caught my eye. The couple are visiting the East coast of Canada at the moment and the photo shows them dressed finely and sporting not one, but two poppies on their left lapels. I noted, having lived in the UK that one of the poppies was of the paper style worn in England while the other was the plasticized, flocked version common in Canada.

Remembrance Day or Veteran’s Day is a day designated by Commonwealth nations to show respect for those who died in war. November 11th is selected in honour of the Armistice at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to end World War I in 1918. This ceremonial day has been in effect since 1919 when those soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War were first honoured. A number of nations outside the Commonwealth also participate in similarly themed memorial events.

The poppy as a symbol itself was inspired by the Canadian John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields” in which he references the wild poppies growing in the battle fields. The concept of wearing a poppy was presented by Moina Michael, an American school teacher, in 1921. Crepe paper pins were produced in the United States while silk poppy lapel pins began to be produced in France by soldiers’ widows and orphans. To this day in England and in the United States, the disabled, war veterans and their dependents work to manufacture the poppies. Canadian veterans made poppies until 1996 when manufacturing moved to a private contractor. In all cases, the proceeds from poppy sales are directed to the rehabilitation and support of veterans of not just the First and Second World Wars but of subsequent wars as well.

The most likely explanation for the visiting Royals wearing both English and Canadian poppies? A symbolic gesture of support for the communities of veterans in both the UK and Canada and for the disabled veterans still making the poppies in the UK.