According to one royal expert, Prince Harry’s choice to forgo Prince Philip’s funeral ceremony may have strained his ties with the royal family.

The Ups and Downs of Prince Harry’s relationship with the Royal Family Over the Years
“It’s upsetting [since] there doesn’t appear to be any significant reason why he can’t be there,” Us Weekly’s Robert Jobson said exclusively after a representative confirmed that Harry, 37, will not attend a Thanksgiving Service in honor of his late grandpa. “He’ll be in Holland shortly for the Invictus Games.”

The memorial service will be held on March 29, nearly a year after Philip died in April 2021 at the age of 99. Harry, who relocated to California in 2020 with wife Meghan Markle and their children Archie, 2, and Lilibet, 9 months, flew to England to attend the burial, which was shortened owing to the coronavirus outbreak. He also travelled to the United Kingdom in July 2021 to attend the installation of a statue honouring his late mother, Princess Diana.

In January, however, Harry sought judicial appeal of a Home Office judgement stating that he could not directly finance police security for his family while in England. The Duke of Sussex volunteered to personally pay for U.K. police protection after stepping down as a senior member of the royal family in January 2020, but was turned down. Harry was able to pay for a private protection squad after moving to California with his family, thanks to the money left to him by Princess Diana.

“I have to fund protection for us,” Harry stated in March 2021 during a CBS tell-all interview with Markle, 39. “[I was disconnected] in the first quarter of 2020.” But I have what my mother left me, and we would not have been able to achieve this without it.”

The prince said in a statement made by his legal representative at the time of asking for the Home Office to alter their decision that “although his function within the Institution has changed, his profile as a member of the royal family has not.” Neither has the danger to him and his family.”

As a result, his own crew “cannot mimic the essential police protection required while in the United Kingdom.” Prince Harry and his family are unable to come home in the absence of such safety.”

Regardless of security concerns, Jobson believes Harry’s absence from the funeral is “disrespectful,” especially given his close friendship with Philip throughout his life. “I think any young man, especially one who has been so properly guided by the Duke of Edinburgh, should be there,” the author of Prince Philip’s Century: The Extraordinary Life of the Duke of Edinburgh said.

“I’m sure [Queen Elizabeth II] understands that Philip and Harry had a terrific connection,” he said, adding that celebrating her husband also shows “deference” to the 96-year-old monarch.

The mourning service might also herald the queen’s return to public engagements after her fight with COVID-19. Following her positive test for the virus in February, the Queen has continued to do “minor tasks,” but has been forced to cancel many engagements due to her health. Queen Elizabeth did not attend the annual Commonwealth Day Service, but she requested that Prince Charles and Prince William do it in her place.

“She’s healed from COVID, which is wonderful, but I think you have to understand that 96, there will be moments where she aspires to be at events and she won’t be able to be there even if she really wants to,” Jobson told Us. “I’m sure she’d be keen to attend [the memorial]… But if she can’t, she can’t, and her eldest son, the Prince of Wales, will be there to represent her.”