Prince Harry could be banned from private Royal Family gathering after Philip’s funeral

Prince Harry could be forced to continue self-isolating and skip any private gathering that takes place between after Prince Philip’s funeral, a royal expert said.

The Duke of Sussex returned to the UK on Sunday (April 11) for the first time since he and wife Meghan Markle stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family.

He is staying at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor – his former residence – and is observing coronavirus regulations, according to a spokesman for the Duke.

Current rules state that anyone arriving in England must quarantine for 10 days and take two coronavirus test while in quarantine.

Harry has been allowed to attend the funeral tomorrow (April 17) on compassionate grounds but the guidelines may prevent him from attending any other gathering.

Speaking on the Royally Obsessed podcast, royal biographer Victoria Murphy said: “There has been speculation that they might get together before or after the funeral.

“But, of course, because of Covid they shouldn’t really because gatherings of that size are not allowed other than for a funeral.

“With the restrictions here in the UK, you are not allowed to have 30 people gathered and even outside, you’re still limited to two households or six people, unless it’s for specific things like a funeral.”

Hosts Roberta Fiorito and Rachel Bowie wondered if Harry could stay with his family after the funeral but Victoria said he “shouldn’t”.

“You have this situation with Harry, where he is supposed to be quarantining other than when he’s at the funeral,” the author added.

“He has flown over here and he is allowed to, on compassionate grounds, attend the funeral service.

“But he is supposed to be quarantining outside of that. So he shouldn’t be spending time with anyone.”

The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral will depart from usual protocol and see senior royals in civilian dress instead.

The order, said to be directly from the Queen, is seen as a pre-emptive strike after questions were raised over which royal members will be allowed to wear their military uniform.