Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the Academy Awards?

At the Oscars next weekend, Harry and Meghan have been asked to present an award.

The couple was approached at the end of last year and given the opportunity to choose from a variety of awards.

They are reportedly being lined up to announce Best Picture, the night’s most coveted award.

If the Duke attends, he will undoubtedly face backlash from royal enthusiasts, especially after he skipped Prince Philip’s funeral ceremony in London.

The two were originally planned to give the Best Actress award, however, this was ruled out due to actress Kristen Stewart’s nomination for her performance in Spencer, a film on Princess Diana’s life.

A US source said: “Harry and Meghan were first approached two years ago for the ceremony but politely declined.

“Obviously they’d be a huge coup this year and could use their appearance to make an impassioned speech of their choosing, most likely Ukraine.

“Show producers Will Packer and Shayla Cowan have lined up some amazing A-list names to take to the stage and Harry and Meghan would be the icing on the cake.

“It’s still up in the air, but in all likelihood — especially in the wake of recent publicity — Harry won’t attend.

“It would be seen as a final kick in the teeth for the royal family if he did — he’s too nervous to fly to London without police protection, but happy to stand up in front of a huge live audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Not great optics.”