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

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

• Prince Harry decided not to attend his grandfather’s memorial service amid fears for his family’s safety after the request for extra security was denied by the Home Office.
• His absence was felt with many calling his decision ‘insensitive’ as the Queen mourned her husband.
• This royal news (opens in new tab) comes after Princess Charlotte had the cheekiest reaction to spotting herself on TV (opens in new tab).

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 (opens in new tab), Prince Harry was noticeably absent.

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

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’ (opens in new tab) for the Queen and will potentially leave him with a ‘lifetime of regret’ (opens in new tab).

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.’

Richard Griffin, who was responsible for both the Queen and Prince Philp’s safety for 14 years, told Sky News (opens in new tab) 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" (opens in new tab). Aides even planned a military-style operation (opens in new tab) to get her to the Abbey, with her Majesty determined to attend "no matter how hard it was".