The Duke of Sussex will not be in attendance at the March service.
Prince Harry will not be heading to the United Kingdom this month. ET has learned that the 37-year-old Duke of Sussex is not attending the service of thanksgiving honoring his late grandfather, Prince Philip, at Westminster Abbey on March 29. Philip died in April 2021 at age 99.
A spokesperson for Harry says that, while the duke will not be returning to the U.K. in late March, he "hopes to visit his grandmother [Queen Elizabeth] as soon as possible."
The news of Harry's absence at the upcoming service comes after he spoke out about safety concerns in his home country. In January, Harry threatened to take legal action against a Home Office decision that prevents him from funding private security for his family in the U.K.
Harry shares Archie, 2, and Lilibet, 9 months, with his wife, Meghan Markle. The couple stepped back from their roles as senior members of the royal family in 2020. That same year, the pair moved to the United States, thus losing their taxpayer-funded police protection.
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex personally fund a private security team for their family, yet that security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed whilst in the U.K.," the statement read in part. "In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home."
In a court hearing last month, lawyers for Harry said he's unwilling to bring his children to the U.K. without police protection, AP reported.
"[Harry] does not feel safe when he is in the U.K. given the security arrangements applied to him. It goes without saying that he does want to come back to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart," Harry's lawyer said. "Most of all, this is and always will be, his home."
Robert Palmer, a lawyer representing the British government, called Harry’s claim "unarguable and unmeritorious," AP reported.
"The goal for Prince Harry has been simple," Harry's January statement read, "to ensure the safety of himself and his family while in the U.K. so his children can know his home country."
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