Prince Harry's 'insult' to the Queen with noticeable absence on her day of heartache

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the Patron of the Rugby Football League hosts the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draws for the men's, women's and wheelchair tournaments at Buckingham Palace on January 16, 2020 in London, England.
(Image credit: Getty Images / Chris Jackson)

Prince Harry’s decision to skip Prince Philip’s memorial has been labeled as ‘nonsense’ by a former royal protection officer

The royal family attended a special memorial service for Prince Philip, at Westminster Abbey to mark one year since he passed away. Despite the show of support for the Queen from the Firm, Prince Harry was noticeably absent.

Viewers were left heartbroken by the televised service, as the Queen could be seen having a teary moment while the attendees sang God Save the Queen, and Princess Beatrice broke down in floods of tears during one of the poignant hymns.

Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. (second row left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duchess of Cambridge during a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey on March 29, 2022 in London, England.

Prince Harry and Meghan sadly did not attend the service, despite reports that they were gearing up to make their big return. Many have called Prince Harry’s choice to skip the event a ‘slap in the face’ for the Queen and will potentially leave him with a ‘lifetime of regret’.

His decision to skip the event was due to safety concerns after the Home Office denied him extra security. Now a former protection officer has called this a ‘pathetic excuse.’

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex hosts the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draws for the men's, women's and wheelchair tournaments at Buckingham Palace on January 16, 2020 in London, England

Richard Griffin, who was responsible for both the Queen and Prince Philp’s safety for 14 years, told Sky News that Harry's absence “was a big disappointment for everybody".

He continued, "All this nonsense about he couldn't get protection, as far as I'm concerned that was a pathetic excuse, he should have been here to honour his grandfather.

"At the end of the day, if he was that worried about security he could have stuck with his brother and father who have got wonderful security. He would have been more than safe."

The Queen faced concerns that she too, would not be able to attend the service, with the Palace taking things  "day by day". Aides even planned a military-style operation to get her to the Abbey, with her Majesty determined to attend "no matter how hard it was".

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.