Why Meghan Markle will not attend the funeral of Prince Philip

Last week, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and royal consort to Queen Elizabeth II of England passed away at the age of 99.

He was two months shy of his one-hundredth birthday.  The U.K. is in mourning over their beloved royal as is his wife of 73 years and mom to their four children. Prince Philip and the Queen are grandparents and great grandparents to many.

The funeral for Prince Philip (that he himself had a hand in planning) will take place on April 17 at 3 PM BST at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, just thirty guests will attend the service in person, but the event will be televised.

Prince Harry will be making the trip from Los Angeles to London to say his final goodbyes to his grandfather.  Both he and his wife Meghan Markle officially stepped down from their duties as senior members of the royal family last year.  Through their detailed Oprah interview that aired in early March, the reasons for their leaving were heavily discussed.

This will be Harry’s first U.K. return in over a year, but the occasion unfortunately will be a sad one.

On the couple’s Archwall Foundation website, the pair expressed brief condolences in regard to the Duke of Edinburgh’s passing. s

"“In loving memory of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh… Thank you for your service… you will be greatly missed.”"

An announcement from Buckingham Palace released through the Associated Press states the following about the funeral:

"“While there is sadness that the public will not be able to physically be part of events to commemorate the life of the duke, the royal family asks that anyone wishing to express their condolences do so in the safest way possible and not by visiting Windsor or any other royal palaces to pay their respects,” a palace spokesperson told the AP. “The family’s wish is very much that people continue to follow the guidelines to keep themselves and others safe.″"

Meghan, who is expecting the couple’s second child (a daughter), will not be attending the service with her husband Her doctors advised that as she is too far long along in her pregnancy and traveling overseas would pose great risks.  Last summer, the Duchess of Sussex suffered a miscarriage, so it is in the best interest of both mother and child that she rest for the last trimester. The second Sussex baby is due this early summer.

An online condolence book is available for those who wish to leave a message for the royal family in honor of Prince Philip.