Meghan Markle due not to attend Prince Philip’s funeral for this reason

Meghan Markle will not be attending Prince Philip's funeral alongside husband Prince Harry. 

• The Duke of Edinburgh's funeral is set to take place on Saturday 17 April 2021. 
• It's been reported that Meghan Markle, wife of Philip's grandson Prince Harry, will not be attending the funeral.
• In other royal news, Prince William and Kate Middleton honor Prince Philip with a touching photograph.

The Duke of Edinburgh passed away peacefully aged 99 this week at his home in Windsor Castle, with Queen Elizabeth, his beloved wife, by his side. Prince Philip's funeral is expected to take place on April 17 2021. 

It has been reported that Prince Harry will travel back for the funeral to unite with his brother William and the rest of the royal family in their grief. The funeral is expected to be a smaller gathering than previous royal funerals, due to compliance with Covid-19 restrictions. 

Meghan Markle isn't expected to attend the funeral with Harry, after being advised by doctors not to travel due to the advanced stage of her pregnancy. 

While the Duchess's due date isn't yet known, she and husband Prince Harry announced the news on Valentine's Day, leading royal fans to predict their little one will arrive in June or July. 

The couple have been isolating together in their Santa Barbara mansion in California with their one-year-old son, Archie, and coming back for the funeral would involve a long-haul, transatlantic flight across the pond - which isn't advised for women who are in the latter stages of pregnancy. 

Buckingham Palace announced funeral arrangements on Saturday 10th April. According to the Duke of Edinburgh's wishes, the funeral will take place at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle - a beloved place of Philip and the Queen. 

The head of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Vincent Nichols told Times Radio that a more intimate funeral will give the royal family an opportunity for more privacy. He said, "I think there might be a bit of consolation in it for the royal family actually because it just gives them a chance to be close and to have a comparative bit of privacy. 

"Obviously, the whole ceremony will be watched by everybody but you think of the complexities of the dynamics in that family and we have to think of Harry, so far away. 

"I'm sure he'll come but not being, the whole time, in the public eye might just help. Many a family gather and get over tension and broken relationships at the time of a funeral. Something very profound unites them all again. And that would be true for this family, I'm sure."