Royal Family ‘don’t think it’s likely’ Prince Harry will be back for Prince Philip memorial despite UK ‘always’ being ‘his home’

Prince Harry will likely miss the planned memorial for his late grandfather, Prince Philip, it’s reported. It’s said that senior members of the Royal Family expect he will not return as it would “undermine his position that it’s too much of a threat” for him to return.

• Prince Harry will likely miss the memorial to Prince Philip, it has been reported
• Harry, who still considers the UK “his home”, is fighting a legal battle to get police protection for he and his family for if they return to the UK
• In other royal news, plans for a Platinum Jubilee book for school children sparks debate online.

He hasn’t been back to the UK since the July 1 unveiling of the Diana, Princess of Wales memorial statue in 2021, and it’s likely Prince Harry will also miss the planned memorial to Prince Philip this coming March.

Harry, who now resides in California with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children Archie and Lilibet, famously stepped back as senior working members of the Royal Family in 2020.

Because of this, Harry was stripped of his access to security.

Arguing for his right to this protection, Harry has gone to court in the UK where it’s been revealed he doesn’t feel safe returning to the UK with the current security detail offered.

It is because of this reason that a source close to the Royal Family told the Mail on Sunday they believe he cannot return for Philip’s memorial as it could contradict his legal argument.

The source said, “They don’t think it’s likely he’ll come back because it would undermine his position that it’s too much of a threat.”

Despite this, Harry still maintains that the UK is his home, according to his lawyer.

Shaheed Fatima QC, representing Harry in his latest legal battle, told the Royal Courts of Justice on Friday that “It goes without saying that he does want to come back to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart.”

“Most of all, this is and always will be his home.”

When is Prince Philip’s memorial?

Buckingham Palace announced last year that a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh would take place in the spring of 2022 at Westminster Abbey.

This has now been confirmed to take place on March 29.

Who protects the Royal Family?

Decisions over Prince Harry's personal security in the UK are taken by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, also known as Ravec.

This secret body, who answers to the UK’s Home Secretary, is responsible for deciding who should be protected by the police—and how much they need.

Details of its work are never made public to prevent potential attackers from learning more about the operations and the highly sensitive information.

According to court papers being reported on during Harry’s legal fight, after he and Meghan Markle stepped back as working members of the Royal Family and moved to the USA in 2020, Ravec placed him in an "exceptional category", meaning his future police protection in the UK would depend on the specific circumstances of each visit.

In his claim, Prince Harry says that Ravec reached this decision unlawfully and unreasonably—including because he has offered to pay for the police time needed and was still in the immediate line of succession to the throne.

He further argues that his private protection team do not have all the powers they would need to act in the UK, including access to police intelligence about threats to him and his family.