Prince Harry to face 'lifetime of regret' as he skips Prince Philip's memorial service

Prince Harry arrives for the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021 in Windsor, England. Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark was born 10 June 1921, in Greece.
(Image credit: Getty Images / Victoria Jones - WPA Pool)

Royal experts claim that Prince Harry will come to regret his decision not to return to the UK in time for Prince Philip's memorial service today.

Prince Harry has decided not to return to the UK to attend his grandfather Prince Philip’s memorial service—a choice experts claim could leave him with a "lifetime of regret".

Prince Philip passed away aged 99, in April 2021 after a stint in hospital and undergoing a heart operation. Now the royal family are set to gather at Westminster Abbey for a memorial service to remember his life and mark one year on from his death.

Prince Harry and Meghan were looking set to return, but after their request for extra security and ongoing reports of the royal rift, they have decided not to make the trip.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit a local farming family, the Woodleys, on October 17, 2018 in Dubbo, Australia. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on their official 16-day Autumn tour visiting cities in Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.

Experts are now calling this a ‘slap in the face’ for the Queen, who herself has been struggling with her health but is determined to attend ‘no matter how hard it is'. The Palace has reportedly even gone so far as to set up a military-style operation to ensure she can attend.

Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter told Nine.com.au that The Firm will all be in attendance, "each of whom will be keen to provide the Queen a sense of unity as she publicly mourns her husband once again".

Arbiter continued, "Though she's never been one to hold a grudge, surely it would be better for Prince Harry to make his peace now as opposed to living with a lifetime filled with potential regret. There are no second chances for occasions such as these."

Prince Harry, Prince Phillip and Prince William enjoy the atmosphere during the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final match between New Zealand and Australia at Twickenham Stadium on October 31, 2015 in London, United Kingdom.

Harry has faced further criticism as he flew to the Netherlands to attend the Invictus Games 2022 just a week prior to the memorial service, despite his concerns about safety.

Royal author Phil Dampier told the MailOnline, "It's very sad that Harry and Meghan won't be at Prince Philip's memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn't feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me, that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad.”

Naomi Jamieson
Lifestyle News Writer

Naomi is a Lifestyle News Writer with the Lifestyle team and has recently earned her Gold Standard Diploma in Journalism from the NCTJ. She has a background in design, having studied Illustration at Plymouth University but has taken a leap into the world of journalism after always having a passion for writing. She currently writes pieces on beauty, fashion, and entertainment for Goodto.com and My Imperfect Life.