Prince Philip: Prince Harry returns to UK for funeral as royals attend Sunday church service

Prince Harry lands in Britain to attend his grandfather’s funeral as family members reveal Philip’s final moments.

Prince Harry and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh share a joke on the balcony during Trooping the Colour in 2014 in London.

Prince Harry has arrived in Britain to attend the funeral of his grandfather, Prince Philip on Saturday.

Harry touched down in the country on Sunday night, without his heavily pregnant wife Meghan Markle who decided not to fly on doctor’s advice and stayed behind in California.

It was uncertain if Harry had brought his near two-year-old son Archie across the Atlantic for this first trip back to Britain since the couple dramatically left the Royal family in March 2020.

If so, it may be a masterstroke to help heal very damaged bridges between Harry and his older brother Prince William, Kate, and Prince Charles, after the bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey last month. In the interview Harry and Meghan accused the royal family of racism and prejudice against Archie.

Prince Philip (C) and his grandson's Prince William (R) and Prince Harry (L) during the final match of the 2015 Rugby World Cup between New Zealand and Australia at Twickenham.

The Royal Family have only seen Archie on video calls for more than half of his young life.

Harry was to go straight to Frogmore Cottage, his former home near Windsor Castle which was a loan from the Queen and renovated at great taxpayer cost before the couple decided to leave the Royal family in January 2020.

Harry’s cousin Eugenie and her young family now live at the cottage and will welcome Harry as a visitor — albeit he will be in home quarantine for the first five days.

But Harry’s arrival is the first confirmation of any of the 30 guests that will be allowed to attend the funeral service for Philip, 99, at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle next Saturday afternoon.

It is almost certain that the four children and eight grand children of the Queen and Philip will attend the funeral: Prince Charles and Camilla, Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Lawrence; Prince Andrew; and Prince Edward and Sophie, as well as Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.

Philip’s niece Lady Sarah Chatto and nephew, the Earl of Snowdon — who are Princess Margaret’s children — may also be considered.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are joined by her mother, Doria Ragland, as they show their new son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, to the Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, in 2019 in Windsor.

The Duchess of Cambridge will also attend, but it is unclear if other spouses like Mike Tindall, Jack Brooksbank and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi will make the cut, or if they will make way for some of the Queen’s older relatives such as Princess Alexandra, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. The ten great-grandchildren are not expected to attend.

Under government rules, singing at the funeral will be limited to up to three people and without the congregation participating. Mourners are to use a microphone and not raise their voice.

We’ve lost the grandfather of the nation: Andrew

Prince Philip’s final moments were “like somebody took him by the hand and off he went’’, his daughter-in-law, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex said.

Sophie told well-wishers outside the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor, where she, Prince Edward, their daughter Lady Louise and Prince Andrew attended a Sunday church service, that Philip’s death on Friday morning was “so gentle’’, adding “it was very very peaceful. And that’s all you want for somebody isn’t it?”

The congregation comprised workers of the Windsor estate, where Philip was the longest serving ranger.

Outside the church, Andrew gave a rare public interview since stepping down from royal duties in the wake of the disastrous interview about his friend, the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In the sunny but chilly day, Andrew described his father as “the grandfather of the nation’’.

Andrew said: “The Queen as you would expect is an incredibly stoic person. She described his passing as a miracle and she’s contemplating, I think is the way that I would put it.

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (L), Sophie, Countess of Wessex, (R) and Lady Louise Windsor (C) attend Sunday service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints, at Royal Lodge, in Windsor.

“She described it as having left a huge void in her life but we, the family, the ones that are close, are rallying round to make sure that we’re there to support her.”

He added: “He was a remarkable man. I loved him as a father, he was so calm. If you had a problem, he would think about it... there was always somebody you could go to, and he would always listen.

“So it’s great loss. I think another way I would put it is that we’ve lost almost the grandfather of the nation. And I feel very sorry and supportive of my mother who was feeling it, probably more than everybody else.”

Prince Andrew says the Queen described the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh as having "left a huge void" in her life, and says the royal family is "rallying round to make sure that we're there to support her"

Read more here: https://t.co/zv6NRoO98Epic.twitter.com/FA2CRy7y3b

— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 11, 2021

Prince Edward said the death of his father had been very, very sad and was still a dreadful shock. “And we’re sort of, trying to come to terms of that’’. Edward said the Queen was bearing up.

“That wave of affection for him and those lovely stories, they just mean so much. The tributes have been just fantastic. That’s really really important and we really do appreciate it.”

Royal staff were busy removing the flower tributes left for Philip and the Queen outside Windsor Castle and by mid morning they had shut off access to the gates and redirected the public to the Long Walk because of the large numbers gathering in spite of the coronavirus measures.

"He meant so much to so many other people"

Prince Edward says the tributes that have been paid to his father the Duke of Edinburgh have been "extraordinary"

Read more: https://t.co/JlGs1DizyMpic.twitter.com/7Yfbl7knU8

— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 11, 2021