Prince Harry Won't Attend Prince Philip's Memorial Service
12:11 GMT 12.03.2022 (Updated: 15:18 GMT 28.05.2023)
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The royal's last visit to the United Kingdom was in the summer of 2021. Back then, he unveiled a statue dedicated to his late mother Princess Diana together with his brother. Reports say Prince Harry wanted to come to the UK with his two children – Archie, 3, and 9-month-old Lilibet, but feared it could be dangerous.
Prince Harry will miss a memorial service dedicated to his late grandfather Prince Philip, who passed away last April, the royal's spokesperson said. The representative added that the Duke of Sussex hopes to visit his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II as soon as possible. The spokesperson did not elaborate on any possible dates.
No reason has been given for why Harry will be absent, but UK media outlets point out that it likely involves the ongoing legal battle with the country's Home Office. All members of the Royal Family are provided with taxpayer-funded protection. Yet, when in 2020 Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle announced their decision to step down as working royals and move to North America that protection was rescinded.
Prince Harry has offered to pay for police protection himself. He emphasised that his US security team does not have jurisdiction in the United Kingdom as well as access to information needed to keep his family safe.
"The claimant does not feel safe when he is in the UK given the security arrangements applied to him in June 2021. It goes without saying that he does want to come back to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities close to his heart", said the royal's lawyer.
Robert Palmer, who has represented the Home Office, said Prince Harry's offer to fund the protection was "irrelevant". The verdict on the case is expected to be announced later this month.
The Duke of Sussex briefly returned to the United Kingdom last summer to attend the unveiling of a statue dedicated to his late mother Princess Diana and before that he attended the funeral of his grandfather Prince Philip in April 2021.
Relations between the Sussexes and the rest of the Royal Family are said to have soured after the couple gave a tell-all interview to US talk show host Oprah Winfrey in which they made sensational allegations. Meghan Markle accused royal staff of denying her help when she felt suicidal and implied that one member of the family was racist – they were concerned about the potentially dark skin of the couple's firstborn child Archie.
No reason has been given for why Harry will be absent, but UK media outlets point out that it likely involves the ongoing legal battle with the country's Home Office. All members of the Royal Family are provided with taxpayer-funded protection. Yet, when in 2020 Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle announced their decision to step down as working royals and move to North America that protection was rescinded.
Prince Harry has offered to pay for police protection himself. He emphasised that his US security team does not have jurisdiction in the United Kingdom as well as access to information needed to keep his family safe.
"The claimant does not feel safe when he is in the UK given the security arrangements applied to him in June 2021. It goes without saying that he does want to come back to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities close to his heart", said the royal's lawyer.
Robert Palmer, who has represented the Home Office, said Prince Harry's offer to fund the protection was "irrelevant". The verdict on the case is expected to be announced later this month.
The Duke of Sussex briefly returned to the United Kingdom last summer to attend the unveiling of a statue dedicated to his late mother Princess Diana and before that he attended the funeral of his grandfather Prince Philip in April 2021.
Relations between the Sussexes and the rest of the Royal Family are said to have soured after the couple gave a tell-all interview to US talk show host Oprah Winfrey in which they made sensational allegations. Meghan Markle accused royal staff of denying her help when she felt suicidal and implied that one member of the family was racist – they were concerned about the potentially dark skin of the couple's firstborn child Archie.
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