Prince Harry’s fears of an attack on U.K. soil have likely ruled him out of attending his uncle’s funeral in a move that will also avoid a meeting with Prince William.
Lord Robert Fellowes died on July 29 of undisclosed causes sending the royals and Princess Diana’s relatives into mourning.
He was married to Lady Jane Fellowes, Princess Diana’s sister, but was also Queen Elizabeth II’s most senior aide from 1990 to 1999.
Harry and William were close to Jane and would holiday at her house in Norfolk, raising the prospect that both might attend the funeral.
However, Newsweek understands Harry’s attendance has likely been ruled out by security threat in Britain, which his team believes is still high.
Afua Hagan, a U.K.-based royal expert, told Newsweek: “It’s a shame that he’s not attending the funeral of someone that is clearly close to him.
“I think he probably is thinking that it’s best if him and William are not in the same place at the moment because it’s clear those bridges haven’t been mended and it’s clear those security concerns continue and it’s something that’s really impacting his life.
“If he feels he can’t attend a funeral, I think that’s pretty sad actually.”
Harry and Meghan were stripped of their police protection team when they quit the palace for a new life in America.
The duke twice sued the British government in an effort to overturn the decision and, after losing both cases, has lodged an appeal.
However, he recently made clear he still considers Britain too dangerous a country while he does not have armed police guards watching his back.
Private security guards are not allowed to carry guns in the U.K. and police officers have the added benefit of being able to speed him through red traffic lights, leaving paparazzi photographers in their wake.
“He’s not comfortable and he’s not willing to come back in any way shape or form,” Hagan said, “even for a funeral—he’s that concerned about security that he won’t come to that.
“That shows the security concerns are impacting his life. They are powerful and it’s not something he feels is taken care of in the right way.
“He doesn’t feel it’s adequate enough. He talked about his wife not coming back but now it’s him as well.”
A member of Prince Harry’s U.S.-based private security team recently spoke out on his behalf, taking a swipe at the U.K. government.
Joe Funk, senior vice president of Torchstone Global Security, told People: “The U.K. government acknowledges numerous threats against them, but we are not privy to specific details due to lack of cooperation.”
In the same article, the magazine reported that the security issue has driven a wedge between him and King Charles III as Harry believes his father could help change the government’s policy.
Harry currently does receive U.K. police protection in some contexts, predominantly when attending official events the palace has invited him to.
However, it has been confined to those events, creating the bizarre situation during Queen Elizabeth II’s 2022 Platinum Jubilee in which they only left the house to attend two official events.
The rest of their visit was spent at Frogmore Cottage, which at the time was their U.K. home.
Meanwhile, Harry recently told the documentary Tabloids on Trial: “It’s still dangerous, and all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read.
“And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
Jack Royston is Newsweek’s chief royal correspondent, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.
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Source: Tampa Bay Times
