Why Prince Harry can leave quarantine early to attend Prince Philip's funeral

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attends the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 09, 2020 in London, England

(Image credit: Samir Hussein / Contributor via Getty)

published 12 April 2021

Prince Harry is still permitted to attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral despite arriving in the UK less than a week beforehand.

The funeral for Prince Philip, who died on the morning of April 9, will take place on Saturday April 17 at Windsor
Although the UK's quarantine time is 10 days, Prince Harry will still be able to attend despite only arriving in the country the Sunday before
In other royal news, Prince William and Prince Harry are to walk 'shoulder to shoulder' at the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral

The Duke of Sussex was spotted arriving in the UK at London's Heathrow Airport on Sunday afternoon. The service for Prince Philip will take place on Saturday April 17 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle – the same place that Harry and Meghan were married.

The Duchess of Sussex is not able to attend the funeral with her husband as she did not receive medical clearance to fly, due to being heavily pregnant with the couple's second child.

As per the government's Covid-19 travel guidelines, Prince Harry will have tested negative for the virus three days before travelling to the UK. International arrivals must then quarantine for 10 days, taking tests on days two and eight, before they are released.

Despite the official quarantine period being 10 days, Prince Harry is still able to attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral at the weekend – and it’s not because he’s a member of the Royal Family.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex make an official visit to the Joff Youth Centre in Peacehaven, Sussex on October 3, 2018 in Peacehaven, United Kingdom. The Duke and Duchess married on May 19th 2018 in Windsor and were conferred The Duke & Duchess of Sussex by The Queen — Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

The government guidance on funerals says that international visitors to the UK can leave quarantine “in limited circumstances, including on compassionate grounds”. This permits the Duke to break quarantine briefly – but only to attend the funeral.

As the US is not on the UK’s “red list” of countries, it would also be possible for Prince Harry to end his quarantine early by partaking in the government’s “Test to Release” scheme. People isolating can pay for a private test five days into quarantine, which ends the period early if the result is negative.

Coming from a country that isn’t on the UK’s red list also means that Prince Harry doesn’t have to stay in a quarantine hotel.

Lucy is a UK-based beauty journalist who has written for titles including Marie Claire, Glamour and OK!, as well as contributing to woman&home. Her work covers everything from expert skin and haircare advice to beauty trends and reviews of the latest products. During her career she regularly speaks to the industry's leading hairdressers, dermatologists and make-up artists, has covered backstage at London Fashion Week and interviewed many a celeb about their beauty routine.