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Buckingham Palace Confirms Prince Harry Will Return to U.K. for Prince Philip’s Funeral

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Prince Harry will officially be returning to the U.K. for his grandfather's funeral.

After the passing of Prince Philip was announced yesterday morning, many wondered whether Prince Harry would return to England for the service. Now, a report by The New York Times received from Buckingham Palace states the Duke of Sussex will fly back to his home country for the private ceremony at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

However, Prince Harry will be traveling alone, due to orders from doctors that his wife, Meghan Markle, should remain at home since she is in the final stages of her pregnancy.

This will be the first time Prince Harry has returned home since he and the Duchess of Sussex stepped down from their royal duties and made a final formal appearance in March of 2020. It will also be the first time the Prince has seen his family members since the tell-all Oprah interview that premiered last month.

In the earth-shattering interview, the Duke of Sussex told Winfrey that he felt his brother was "trapped" by the institution, saying, "I’m part of the system with them. I always have been. But I guess there is—I’m very aware of this—that my brother can’t leave that system. But I have." Following this statement, the brothers did not speak for a period, until Harry finally called his brother and father to see how they were feeling.

While communication had begun to develop, it was thought that the Duke of Sussex would not be seeing his family again until this July, when they all planned to come together for the unveiling of the Princess Diana memorial statue at Kensington Gardens.

Now, it seems a reunion will happen sooner than planned. Hopefully, the tragic circumstances will be a chance for the royal family to overcome recent challenges and come together again. Royal historian Penny Junor said, "If there is a coming together at the funeral, and the boys, the brothers, can speak to one another and forgive and forget, then I think there’s some hope that Philip’s death may bring about an end to something that might otherwise have gone on for decades."

We are hoping for a peaceful reunion for the royal family.

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Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Release Statement in Honor of Prince Philip ‘You Will Be Greatly Missed’



calfee

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

Joel is the former Associate Editor for News & Entertainment and has been reporting on all things pop culture for over 5 years. Before working at PureWow, he served as a Features Editor at ROCKET Magazine. When he's not dissecting the latest trends in entertainment (or guiding you on what to watch), he covers all the hottest red carpet looks and fashion movements. When he steps away from the keyboard, you can likely find him at an NYC concert, thrift store or LGBTQ+ bookstore happily perusing the shelves.