Prince Harry trying to get back for Prince Philip’s funeral after chat with family

Prince Harry is said to be scrambling to return to England for the funeral of his grandfather, his Royal Highness, Prince Philip – who passed away on Friday 9 April.

Details of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral are expected to be released this weekend after his death on Friday at the age of 99.

Buckingham Palace said Philip died peacefully in his sleep at Windsor Castle, leaving the Queen and the royal family “mourning his loss”.

His death triggered a flood of tributes from across the globe – with world leaders, foreign royal families and charities hailing his life and legacy.

Philip’s funeral is expected to take place at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, but the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown in England will impact plans. Under the current rules, services can only be attended by a maximum of 30 people.

And Harry is set to attend the funeral, which will be his first face-to-face meeting with the family since the Sussex’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Meghan, 39, is not expected to return because she is heavily pregnant with the couple’s second child, who is due in early summer.

Harry, 36, is said to be “united in grief” with his family over the death of his grandfather, reports the Mirror.

Sources confirmed last night the Duke of Sussex spoke today to several members of his family, including Prince Charles, as he scrambles to make arrangements to return in time.

Harry and Meghan paid tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh by replacing the home page of their Archewell charitable foundation with a message reading: “In loving memory of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. 1921-2021.

“Thank you for your service. You will be greatly missed.”

Another source revealed Harry spoke to his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie yesterday and told them of his plans to return.

The insider said: “He said he wants to be with everyone and was already making arrangements to come home.”

Last month when Philip was in hospital recovering from an infection and heart surgery, Harry had chosen to isolate at his California mansion and had a private jet on standby to fly him home.

The Duke of Edinburgh was shielded from the details of the Sussexes’ bombshell Oprah interview, in which they accused a senior member of the Royal Family of racism.

Harry also claimed his brother William and their dad are “trapped” in the system and unhappy they could not leave their royal roles.

Royal sources told how Philip would have been “dismayed” at Harry’s decision to take part in the interview, having been furious when Princess Diana blindsided the royals with her BBC Panorama interview in 1995 which developed into a full blown crisis for the monarchy.

Harry and Meghan, who live in an £11million mansion in Montecito, have signed deals reportedly worth £130million with global corporations as they seek financial independence.

Philip, who attended the couple’s wedding in 2018, is said to have welcomed Meghan into the family. Under current rules, mourners coming from outside England are expected to self-isolate for the first full 10 days after arrival.

But Harry would 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.

Given his status as a member of the Royal Family travelling to support the Queen, Harry might be considered exempt from travel restrictions.

The Queen and her children and grandchildren will enter a period of mourning for their patriarch, which could last several weeks.

Official engagements, most of which are presently online, can continue during this time, although most are postponed or cancelled, but it depends on the wishes of the monarch.

In non-pandemic times, social engagements would usually be cancelled, except those for charitable causes.

There are various types of mourning, but Royal Mourning, includes the royal family, royal households and the Queen’s representatives in the UK and abroad wearing black and also using black-edged writing paper.

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