Will Harry and Meghan Markle attend Prince Philip's funeral? British public may 'boo them' in UK: Source
On Friday, April 9, Buckingham Palace announced the death of Queen Elizabeth's consort, Prince Philip, at the age of 99. The statement from the palace read, "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh."
The question that many are now asking is whether Harry will return to the UK to attend the royal funeral and if the pregnant Meghan Markle and Archie will accompany him on this trip. At the time of the interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Philip, Prince Harry's grandfather, was still in the hospital. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had faced heavy backlash for the timing of the tell-all chat with Winfrey since Prince Philip had been admitted to the hospital at the time.
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Considering the ongoing royal feud caused due to the interview, there is speculation around whether Harry and Meghan will return to the UK, just to attend the funeral and pay their respects. But early in March, Harry had already been told to rush back to the UK to bid his grandfather goodbye, according to sources. Sources quoted by The Royal Observer said that Harry was "advised to fly home right now to say goodbye to his grandfather,” and added, “Who knows if he will listen.” It was reported at the time that Prince Harry would return to the UK but Meghan might stay behind in the US as she is currently pregnant with their second child, a daughter. But Harry did not travel to the UK in March.
Reports now suggest that a massive funeral will be held for Prince Philip and organized as a formal state function. The source said, "There are lots of discussions about what to do with the problem of Meghan (Markle) and Harry," and added that the palace officials at the moment were wondering, "where to seat them and how to protect them from the British public who may boo them"
Prince Philip was first admitted to a hospital in February 2021 after he complained of feeling unwell. He stayed in the hospital for around a month, which was his longest stay ever, and then returned to Windsor Castle. The Palace's statement also added, "His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle." He underwent a procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at another London hospital - St Bartholomew's.
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth had four children, eight grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu on June 10, 1921. Reportedly, a grand celebration was set to take place in June to mark Prince Philip's 100th birthday.
Patricia Treble, a royal commentator had at the time said, "He is going to be turning 100 in June, there is not going to be a huge celebration, he is not one to do fancy stuff. But the expectation was that the whole family, including Harry who would come back from California where he lives, would all celebrate together."
The commentator had added that Harry and Meghan would be welcomed at such an event as, "The Queen has said that they are beloved members of the family and that she wants them to know that they are loved and welcome there." It was also speculated that if Harry could not make it to the celebration, he would fly in for the unveiling of his mother Princess Diana's statue.
Treble said, "So I expect we are probably going to see Harry in Britain if not at Philip's thing which could be private then certainly there is a planned unveiling of a statue of Diana. The expectation is that Harry and William who have spearheaded this whole campaign will unveil that at some point this summer."
