It is a pity that there was so much mis-information as to the route to be taken by the Grice Flight. No two media agencies seemed to concur as to the probable route.
Such comments as "over Portsmouth", "round the Isle of Wight", "visiting the Isle of Wight" (...all with the caveat that weather, ATC, events on the day, etc. might require a change of plan) were utterly useless.
Eventually, "someone" produced a red line on a map which purported to show the route. Was it the outbound leg or the return leg? No-one knew....
In reality, it seems that the aircraft routed from Ventnor via Bembridge to Havant, thus avoiding the Solent area around Portsmouth/Southsea where so many people were gathered. If they saw the flight at all it was as mere dots in the distance.
This rant is not meant to besmirch the valiant efforts of the pilots and ground crews who enabled the flights to take place today, or to be disrespectful of the remembrance of those who fought and died for our country.
However, with a modicum of decent publicity (or updating via the dreaded "social media") so many more people could have successfully witnessed the event.