Prince Harry admits he was ‘afraid’ to return to the UK for Prince Philip’s funeral

Prince Harry has spoken of being ‘afraid’ to return to the UK for his grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral last month as he shared how he used skills learnt in therapy to cope. 

• Prince Harry flew back to the UK from his new LA home (opens in new tab) last month to attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.
• In a recent interview about his and Oprah Winfrey’s new Apple TV+ docuseries, Harry admitted he was ‘afraid’ to come back.
• This royal news (opens in new tab) comes as Prince William expresses ‘love’ for his in-laws after opening up about the day he lost his mother (opens in new tab).

Prince Harry has revealed he felt huge trepidation when it came to returning to the UK to attend Prince Philip’s funeral (opens in new tab) last month. The Duke of Sussex is living in the US after he and Meghan Markle decided to step back (opens in new tab) as senior members of the Royal Family last year.

It’s understood that the funeral marked the first time he had reunited with his family in person for over a year. There had been speculation over whether Meghan would join him, though she was reportedly advised against flying by her doctor due to her pregnancy (opens in new tab).

Instead, Harry, who could still be king (opens in new tab), arrived back in the UK alone in time to self-isolate prior to the service. 

Now he has revealed that he was “afraid” to come back as it would mean facing cameras and anxiety once again. He recently gave a joint interview with Oprah Winfrey to promote their new Apple TV+ docuseries, The Me You Can’t See (opens in new tab), which focuses on mental health. It was during this interview that Harry told The Associated Press how much returning to the UK worried him.

“I was worried about it, I was afraid,” he stated, before reportedly explaining he used coping skills learnt in therapy to work through his trepidation. 

“It definitely made it a lot easier, but the heart still pounds,” Harry shared.

Harry’s return to the UK came just months after his and Meghan’s shocking “tell-all” interview with Oprah aired. Here Harry claimed that Prince Charles stopped taking his calls (opens in new tab) after they revealed their intention to step back and described his father and Prince William as “trapped” in the institution. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWevopoBmAE

The astonishing revelations have led to rumors of tension between the Sussexes and The Firm (opens in new tab). Though after Prince Philip’s funeral service, Harry and William were observed talking together.

It’s been suggested that Harry and William “broke the ice” (opens in new tab) ahead of their reunion for an unveiling of a memorial statue of Princess Diana this summer.

In The Me You Can’t See, Harry bravely opened up about the trauma of losing his mother, describing the ‘out of body’ experience (opens in new tab) he had at her funeral. He also spoke of the importance of making your voice heard.

“The only way to free yourself and break out is, to tell the truth,” Prince Harry powerfully declared.