The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip, will be attended by Prince Harry but not his wife, Meghan Markle. The funeral will take place next week and it will be a stripped-back ceremony due to coronavirus restrictions. The announcement came by the Buckingham Palace on Saturday after Prince’s eldest son and heir to the throne Prince Charles, paid a heartfelt tribute to his ‘dear papa’.
His tribute reads, “My dear Papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him, and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all that. It will sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time.”
The Duke of Edinburg, Prince Philip, died peacefully on Friday triggering eight days of mourning. Royal officials said that the funeral will be televised and will take place at 1400 GMT on Saturday, April 17, in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. It will be preceded by a national minute’s silence. Palace officials also confirmed that Prince Harry will be attending but his American wife Meghan Markle will not attend due to her second pregnancy. Clarifying the same, Meghan, who is pregnant with the second child, had been adviced against travelling from the United States on medical grounds.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had quit frontline royal duties last year and have launched a series of broadsides against the royals, including accusing them of racism and of failing to treat Meghan’s mental health. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will also not be attending the funeral due to COVID restrictions.
A spokesperson said, “The Prime Minister has throughout wanted to act in accordance with what is best for the Royal household, and so to allow for as many family members as possible will not be attending the funeral on Saturday.”