Meghan Markle WON’T come to the UK for Princess Diana statue reveal after Lilibet’s birth, royal expert says

MEGHAN Markle won't return to the UK for the unveiling of a statue dedicated to Princess Diana after the birth of daughter Lilibet, a royal expert says.

Phil Dampier says he "very much doubts" that the Duchess will fly over in the coming weeks for the ceremony.

🔵 Read our Meghan and Harry live blog for the latest updates

Meanwhile, Kate Middleton could step in on the big day if Prince Harry decides he's also unable to return.

The Duke, 36, has been hoping to fly back to the UK for the poignant event on July 1 - on what would have been his mum's 60th birthday.

It comes as:

• Harry and Meghan are reportedly hoping to hire the guru behind Nicole Scherzinger’s cringey yoghurt ads
• Thomas Markle says Prince Harry is ‘weak’ and Oprah ‘took advantage’ of him in a bombshell interview
• The Queen gave a subtle nod to the royal couple at the G7 summit in Cornwall
• But the monarch 'won't stay silent' if Harry and Meghan allow ‘mistruths’ to circulate
• The Duchess is is ‘back on her feet and walking the dogs’ with baby Lilibet while Harry ‘picks vegetables from the garden’

Mr Dampier said: "It wouldn’t surprise me if we don’t see Meghan for some time.

“I don’t think she is popular with the royals or the public in the UK anymore and I think she will prefer to stay in California with her two young children."

He said the arrival of her daughter, who arrived on June 4 and is the first royal born in the US, will provide Meghan with an "excuse" not to attend.

“The birth of Lilibet gives her a perfect excuse not to come," he said.

“It may be seen as a swipe at the Royal Family, but it will just be added to an already long list."

But if the Duchess did come, much of the focus will shift to her - and away from Diana, Mr Dampier said.

“In the unlikely event she did come, it would turn into a circus and detract from the point of the unveiling, which is to remember Diana," he said.

“This is the best opportunity for William and Harry to repair their relationship, and it may be better for the brothers to sort things out between them on their own."

There's been much debate on whether Harry will fly back to the UK for the ceremony, now just a fortnight away.

It would be the first time he's seen brother William face-to-face since their meeting after his grandfather's funeral.

And one expert has predicted that he won't make it back.

Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers told the Pod Save The Queen podcast the Duchess of Cambridge may step in instead.

"Maybe Kate will step in to not have William do it on his own," he said.

But Roya Nikkhah, the Royal Editor at The Sunday Times, told Kay Burley on Sky: "I think we can expect to see him travel within the next few weeks and he is due to unveil that statue."

Since the initial Oprah interview aired on March 8, Harry has given a series of interviews said to have been deeply distressing for the royals.

Opening up in his new five-part AppleTV+ docuseries, The Me You Can't See, he accused his family of "total silence" and "neglect" when Meghan was suicidal and claimed his father made him "suffer" as a child.

He also insisted he would not be "bullied into silence" when he alleged The Firm "trapped" and smeared both he and Meghan.

However, in what has been seen by some as a step to reconcile with the royals, Harry and Meghan named their baby daughter Lilibet 'Lili' Diana - the Queen's family nickname, as well as his mother's name.