Prince Harry is preparing to return to the UK for the first time since he left the royal functions after the death of Prince Philip, but questions remain as to whether Meghan will join him.
Harry’s grandfather’s death comes weeks after they gave an interview to Oprah alleging racism in the royal family that aired while Philip was in the hospital.
The Sussex, who faced calls to postpone the interview because Philip was unwell, accused an unnamed royal, neither the queen nor the duke, of raising concerns about the darkness the skin tone would have. of his son Archie before he was born.
Since then, they launched a charity, accepted lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify, gave public talks, appeared at Zoom conferences, and on March 7, criticized the royal family in a seated interview with Oprah that saw around the world.
Now Meghan is pregnant with her second child and will have to give birth sometime in the summer, but has not revealed exactly when. The couple has not commented on any plans to return to the UK.
A source close to the family told DailyMail.com today: ‘Harry will do his best to return to the UK and be with his family.
“He will want nothing more than to be there for his family and, above all, for his grandmother, during this horrible moment.
“Meghan is obviously pregnant, so she’ll have to get advice from her doctors on whether it’s safe to travel, but I think Harry will definitely go there.”
Harry, Meghan Markle and Prince Philip on Christmas Day 2017. The couple has not been in the UK since March last year
Prince Philip’s death comes just one month after Harry and Meghan gave Oprah an interview in which they claimed racism in the royal family. It aired when Philip was in the hospital
What kind of reception they will receive after their extraordinary interview and behavior over the last year is uncertain.
The most damaging claim they made during Oprah’s interview was that someone in the family made comments to Harry expressing “concern” for his son Archie’s skin tone. Meghan also suggested that the concern was that Archie would not receive the title of prince.
Harry did not reveal who in the family said so, but Oprah said after the interview that she assured that, off-camera, she was neither the queen nor Prince Philip.
Meghan also explained how she asked for help when she was suicidal, but said the institution did not give her any support. The queen said the problems were worrisome, but that “some memories may vary” and that the matter was familiar and would be treated privately.
Harry was due to return to the UK on July 1 for the unveiling of a statue of Diana.
Royal commentators had said she intended to be there, despite Meghan’s impending expiration date and despite the breakup between him and William.
It is unclear if he planned to return in June, when Prince Philip would have turned 100 and when a troop of color was planned.
There was huge criticism that the interview aired on CBS at a time when Prince Philip was seriously ill in hospital. The couple filmed him weeks earlier.
CBS host Gayle King, who is a close friend of Oprah’s, later said the couple had a contingency plan that if Prince Philip’s condition worsened, the interview would not have aired. TV channels have not confirmed that this is the case.
CBS sold the interview to dozens of countries around the world and CBS paid about $ 8 million for it.
The Queen said after the interview that the allegations were “worrying” and that she would direct them to Buckingham Palace.
Although Harry stated in the interview that he had always had a good relationship with the queen, it is not clear what kind of relationship, if any, he now has with Prince William and his father, Prince Charles.
Meghan stated during the interview that, contrary to public reports based on palace sources, she did not make Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, cry during her wedding preparations and that it was Kate who made her cry.
She also claimed that she had been trapped by the “institution” and that at some point she committed suicide, but that when she sought help for mental health, she was told she could not have it.
The Royal Family has not commented on these claims.
Buckingham Palace announced the death of Prince Philip shortly after noon today, and described the queen’s “deep grief”
The Duke of Edinburgh spent his last days at Windsor Castle with his wife after a 28-night stay in hospital after being admitted in mid-February for a pre-existing infection and heart disease.
Her Majesty announced the death of her husband at noon, as the Union flag was lowered at half-mast in front of Buckingham Palace and public buildings in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
The royal family said in a statement: “It is with great sorrow that Her Majesty the Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, Her Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
‘His Royal Highness died peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Other announcements will be made in due course. The royal family joins people from all over the world in mourning their loss’.
As with all royal births, marriages, and deaths, a notice was displayed announcing Philip’s passing outside Buckingham Palace while the wicked are already laying flowers at Windsor Castle, where he is expected to be buried in the Frogmore Gardens after a small family service at St George’s Chapel.
A state funeral that includes a flotilla of ships on the Thames to mark his life seems impossible due to coveted restrictions, but the duke was said to dislike the idea because he “didn’t want the fuss.” Details will appear in the coming days.
A frail Philip was last seen leaving the hospital on March 16 and his death submerges the nation and the royal family in mourning, ending Philip’s life in Britain and Elizabeth, the queen who he had adored her since her adolescence. The couple shared their 73rd wedding anniversary last November and were to turn 100 on June 10 this year.
The Union flag fell in the middle of a tree at Buckingham Palace this afternoon just after it was revealed that Prince Philip had died shortly before his 100th birthday.