Advertisement

Prince Harry has been seen back in the UK ahead of Prince Philip's funeral

Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images
Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images

Prince Harry has arrived back in the UK ahead of his grandfather, Prince Philip's funeral. On Friday 9 April, the royal family announced the Queen's "deep sorrow" at the death of her husband Prince Philip, and his funeral has now been scheduled for Saturday 17 April.

Watch: Prince Harry returns to UK ahead of Prince Philip’s funeral

It was confirmed at the weekend that Prince Harry would be travelling to the UK to attend the funeral, while his wife Meghan Markle is unable to travel being heavily pregnant. In order to comply with UK COVID rules, Prince Harry had to leave his home in California almost a week ahead of the funeral, and he has been spotted disembarking from a flight at London's Heathrow Airport on Sunday afternoon.

In a report published by The Sun, it's detailed that the Duke of Sussex arrived in the UK on Sunday lunchtime following a ten-hour flight from Los Angeles, which he boarded on Saturday night. A source reports that Prince Harry, who was dressed casually in chinos, a jacket and a black face mask following his long-haul flight, was met by security off the plane and driven to his former Kensington Palace home, Nottingham Cottage. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Windsor-based family home, Frogmore Cottage, is now occupied by Princess Eugenie and her family, after the Sussexes generously offered it to them after relocating to America.

Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images
Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images

Prince Philip's funeral will take place at 3pm this Saturday, 17 April, with a small group of 30 family and long-serving workers in attendance. Prince Harry, who lives in California with Meghan and their one-year-old son Archie, will now be in quarantine in accordance with UK government rules. The current COVID protocol states that if you’re travelling to England from abroad, you must either quarantine in the place you’re staying or in a managed quarantine hotel for 10 days. However, there is a stipulation that this isolation time can be reduced for those attending funerals. "You can leave your place of self-isolation in limited circumstances, including on compassionate grounds," reads the government guidance.

It is also possible for quarantine time to be reduced to five days via the 'Test to ‘Release' scheme, which enables people to end self-isolation early if they pay for a private COVID-19 test, and the test comes back negative. It's likely that Prince Harry and the rest of the attendees will all be tested prior to the funeral on Saturday to avoid any spread of coronavirus.

Meghan Markle, meanwhile, has remained in the US while her husband is over in the UK. It's reported she made "every effort" to travel, but considering she is now in the third trimester of her pregnancy, she was not given medical clearance to fly from her doctor.

Photo credit: Chris Jackson - Getty Images
Photo credit: Chris Jackson - Getty Images

 

In response to news of the Duke of Edinburgh's death, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle paid tribute to their grandfather and grandfather-in-law via their Archewell website. They removed all functions from the site and instead displayed the words: "In loving memory of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. 1921-2021."

In a personal note underneath, Harry and Meghan wrote: "Thank you for your service... you will be greatly missed."

This week will no doubt be an emotionally draining one for Prince Harry, not only as he says goodbye to his grandfather, but also as he is reunited with his family for the first time since last month's divisive Oprah Winfrey interview. Here's hoping all differences can be put aside and that everyone is able to be there for one another in this time of grief.
Watch: The wonderful life of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh

You Might Also Like