Meghan Markle Won't Attend Prince Philip's Funeral, Harry Will

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is set to attend his grandfather's funeral next Saturday, after Prince Philip passed away at Windsor Castle Friday morning. But absent from the event will be his wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.

A spokesperson for the new California residents and recently controversial royal couple said Meghan will be unable to attend Prince Philip's April 17 funeral in the United Kingdom because she is pregnant.

The couple have been hounded by international paparazzi after they did an interview with Oprah Winfrey last month that revealed allegations of racial bias by royal family members against Markle, who is biracial. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told multiple news wires Saturday morning that Harry will be following COVID-19 travel guidelines as he heads from California to Windsor next week for his late grandfather's funeral. A doctor advised Markle not to make the long flight between California and Britain due to her pregnancy, spokespersons told multiple news wires Saturday. Markle is currently pregnant with the couple's second child.

"The Duchess has made every effort to travel alongside The Duke, but unfortunately, she did not receive medical clearance from her physician," a source close to the royal family told BAZAAR Saturday morning.

Philip died at the age of 99. He had been married to Queen Elizabeth II for 73 years and was the longest-serving consort in British history.

Next week's funeral for Philip has been hyped by U.S. and British media controversy tied to Harry and Meghan's interview, but the ceremony is expected by many to be low-key by royal standards. The funeral is set to uphold numerous COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and social distancing guidelines, including a limit on the number of people able to attend.

Harry, the Duke of Sussex, will make the trans-Atlantic flight without his wife this week "following COVID-19 protocols for travel," according to multiple sources.

The duke long preferred to drive himself rather than having a traditional royal chauffeur, so the ceremony is set to have a Land Rover - with no chauffeur - carry his coffin from Windsor Castle to St. George's Chapel next Saturday. A national moment of silence is expected to take place in tandem with the funeral at 3 p.m. local time next Saturday. Only thirty people total are slated to attend Philip's funeral procession in keeping with British public health guidelines for the pandemic.

Newsweek reached out to representatives for the California-based couple Saturday afternoon for additional remarks.