In the wake of his grandfather Prince Philip’s passing, Prince Harry is all set to return to the U.K. to attend the funeral and reunite with his family for the first time since stepping back as a senior royal, however Meghan Markle will not be joining him on the journey.
Naturally, people have been speculating as to why the Duchess of Sussex won’t be returning to London with her husband, and as it would turn out, there is a perfectly understandable reason for their decision for her to remain in Los Angeles, where the couple now reside.
Meghan, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, has been advised by her physician not to travel, per a Buckingham Palace spokesperson who issued a statement on April 10.
“The Duke of Sussex is planning to attend,” they said. “The Duchess of Sussex has been advised by her physician not to travel. So the Duke will be attending.”
Per E!, Meghan and Harry’s own representation confirmed the spokesperson’s statement, adding that the Prince will follow the required COVID-19 protocols for travel to and from the U.K., as well as during his time in the country.
Prince Harry’s return will mark the first time that he will see his family in person since he and Meghan stepped down as senior royals last year. It will also be their first meeting since the airing of the couple’s controversial Oprah interview, which aired in March 2021 and from which a number of major revelations about their life as royals were made public.
Following Prince Philip’s sad passing, Harry and Meghan shared a tribute to the World War II veteran on their Archewell website, which said: “Thank you for your service… you will be greatly missed.”
The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral is set to take place on April 17 at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, which was also where Harry and Meghan had their 2018 wedding. Due to COVID-19 protocols, there won’t be any public processions and only 30 people, most of whom will be his family members, are permitted to attend.
