FAMILY BOND
Harry ‘holds talks with Prince Charles & will attend Prince Philip’s funeral’ – but what about pregnant Meghan?
PRINCE Harry is “united in grief” with his family over the death of Prince Philip - and plans to return to the UK for the funeral following talks with Prince Charles.
The Duke of Sussex is reported to be making immediate plans to fly back to Britain.
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It would mark the first time that Prince Harry has come face-to-face with his family since him and Meghan sat down with Oprah Winfrey for their explosive interview last month.
Sources told the that the Duke of Sussex spoke to several members of his family following Prince Philip’s death on Friday, including Prince Charles.
Another source told the newspaper that Harry spoke to his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie - and said he would return to Britain.
The insider told the Mirror: “He said he wants to be with everyone and was already making arrangements to come home.”
The highly-respected Press Association also reported it's "likely Harry will be among the small number of mourners" at the private service.
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However, while Harry is poised to return, it is currently unclear if Meghan will join him even though she reportedly wants to be by his side.
Meghan, 39, is currently pregnant - undoubtedly needing to take advice from doctors before embarking on the 12-hour flight from California.
The pair paid a poignant tribute to Harry's grandfather on Friday afternoon, leaving a message on their Archewell website.
A source close to the family on Friday: "Harry will absolutely do his utmost to get back to the UK and be with his family.
"He will want nothing more than to be there for his family, and particularly his grandmother, during this awful time.
"Meghan is obviously pregnant so she will need to take advice from her doctors about whether it is safe for her to travel, but I think Harry will definitely go.";
Here's what we know...
- Prince Philip, 99, died at Windsor Castle on Friday morning
- Queen shared a poignant photo of Philip as she spoke of ‘deep sorrow’ over the loss of her husband of 73 years
- Prince Philip funeral arrangements have been revealed
- This Morning was taken off air as Queen announces Philip’s death
- Boris Johnson paid tribute to ‘extraordinary’ Prince Philip
- The Duke of Edinburgh's early years were remembered after he felt Corfu on a warship
- The Queen will be in eight days of mourning, it was reported
The Duke of Edinburgh passed away "peacefully" at Windsor Castle on Friday aged 99 after being by the Queen's side for more than 70 years - with the Royal Family now in mourning.
And, according to insiders, Harry is now preparing to fly back to be with them for the first time since quitting the UK in March 2020.
A royal source told the New York Post: "Harry was extremely close to his grandfather.
"He will, of course, be there, no matter how difficult relations are between the Sussexes and the family."
The Duke of Edinburgh's body will lie at rest at Windsor Castle ahead of the funeral in St George's Chapel - where Harry and Meghan wed in 2018.
As the consort of the Queen, the dedicated royal is entitled to a state funeral but will not be given one - a decision the duke made before his death.
Instead, he will be given a military funeral, with a private service held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor and burial in Frogmore Gardens.
The public has been urged to stay away due to the threat of coronavirus.
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The Duke of Edinburgh died just weeks after Meghan and Harry gave a shocking interview to Oprah Winfrey alleging racism within the Royal Family.
The couple infamously quit the UK and royal duties in March 2020 to pursue a "private life" on the other side of the Atlantic.
It's reported Harry has recently been self isolating at his LA mansion just so he could race back if his grandfather's health deteriorated.
During their Oprah interview, the couple spoke of how they had grown close to the Queen despite reports of tension after they quit the Firm.
And they said they had been in close contact with the monarch when Philip was admitted to hospital earlier this year.
Meghan told the chatshow queen: "This morning, I woke up earlier than H, and saw a note from someone on our team in the UK saying that the Duke of Edinburgh had gone to the hospital.
"But I just picked up the phone and I called the Queen just to check in."
Philip spent a month in hospital and underwent heart surgery after suffering from an infection earlier this year.
He was then released last month, taken back to Windsor Castle where he tragically passed away on Friday morning.
Buckingham Palace said it will now "join with people around the world in mourning his loss".
A statement from the Palace said: "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
"His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.
"Further announcements will made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss."
OPRAH TELL-ALL
During the Oprah interview, Meghan also claimed their son Archie wasn't made a prince after "concerns and conversations" about "how dark" his skin would be when he was born.
The Duchess of Sussex said there had been conversations with Harry and a "family" member about their unborn son and what colour his skin would be - and "what that would mean or look like".
But the 39-year-old declined to say who had started those conversations, saying it would be "damaging" for them.
Prince Harry said he would "never share" the full details of the discussion but that he was asked at the start of his relationship with Meghan, how dark the skin of their children might be.
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But Oprah Winfrey later revealed it was NOT the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh who made the comment about Archie's skin.
She told CBS This Morning: "He did not share the identity with me but he wanted to make sure I knew, and if I had an opportunity to share it, that it was not his grandmother or grandfather that were part of those conversations.
"He did not tell me who was a part of those conversations."
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