Pregnant Meghan Markle has been advised by her doctor not to fly to the UK for the Prince Philip’s funeral.
However Prince Harry, the Duke of Edinburgh’s grandson, will be able to attend the ceremony next Saturday, a palace spokesperson confirmed.
The Duke of Sussex will make the journey from the couple’s home in California and will be following Covid-19 protocols for the trip, as well as during his visit.
It is understood that Meghan, who is pregnant with her second child, had made every effort to join her husband but was not given clearance to travel by her doctor.
The Duke and Duchess posted a tribute to Philip on the website of their foundation Archewell yesterday.
It read: ‘In loving memory of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh 1921-2021 Thank you for your service… You will be greatly missed.’
Harry has not returned to the UK since stepping down as a senior royal just over a year ago.
Prince Harry hasn’t been back to the UK since his and Meghan’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey (Picture: Reuters) It also be the first time he has seen his family in person since his and Meghan’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey – in which they accused the royal family of racism and the institution failing to support a suicidal Meghan.
The two-hour interview was aired while Philip was in hospital after surgery on his heart.
The Queen issued a statement saying ‘while some recollections may vary’, the issues would be taken ‘very seriously’, but dealt with privately as a family.
In a rare move on a royal engagement, the Duke of Cambridge, Harry’s brother, spoke out publicly, saying ‘We’re very much not a racist family’, as the royals’ ability to carry out official duties linked to diversity, inclusion and mental health was called into question.
Harry told Oprah Winfrey that he was cut off by his father the Prince of Wales and that ‘there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened’ between them.
He told her he loved his brother William to bits, despite some ‘space’ being put between them. Prince Philip died yesterday morning at Windsor Castle aged 99 (Picture: Getty Images) Currently, funerals can be attended by a maximum of 30 people due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Mourners coming from outside England are required to self-isolate from arrival and for the first full 10 days after they arrive.
But Harry will be entitled to leave his place of self-isolation on compassionate grounds to attend the funeral.
He could also be released from quarantine if he gets a negative private test on day five under the Test to Release scheme.
This afternoon it was announced that Philip, who died yesterday aged 99, will have a ceremonial funeral at 3pm in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, next Saturday.
A national minute’s silence will take place as the service gets under way.
It will be a much smaller event than many would have expected due to Covid restrictions, but the Duke famously said in the past that he didn’t want people ‘making a fuss’ over his death.
When asked about Philip’s opinions on lying in state, an aide once said: ‘He doesn’t see himself as important enough for that.’
