Queen carries tribute to Prince Philip with her at all times

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In the poll, which ran from 11am on Saturday, March 5 to 3pm on Sunday, March 6, Express.co.uk asked its readers: “Should Prince Harry come to the UK to pay his respects to Prince Philip despite the ongoing protection row?” A total of 7,639 people cast their votes, and hundreds of comments were left in a lively debate.

Overwhelmingly, people said “no”, the Duke of Sussex shouldn’t travel back to the UK from the US for the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial, with 89 percent (6,786 people) choosing this option.

A further 10 percent (801 people) said “yes”, he should pay his respects. And one percent (52 people) said they didn’t know.

In the comments, readers said they thought Harry’s presence might distract from the memorial, with the huge public interest surrounding his relationship with the Royal Family.

Username GKatrichis wrote: “Harry’s attendance would be a distraction from the ceremony remembering Prince Philip.”

And chieftain2000 wrote: “No, he should NOT come back for Prince Philip’s memorial service, nor should he come back for his grandmother’s Jubilee celebrations.”

Harry is reportedly considering travelling to the UK for the service, which will be held in Westminster Abbey on March 29.

It will pay tribute to the Queen’s late husband, who died aged 99 on April 9, 2021, and is expected to serve as a “commemoration” of the Duke of Edinburgh’s life.

Prince Harry is involved in a dispute over whether he can have police security in the UK when he visits from the US, where he lives with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children.

The Duke has begun legal action against the Home Office over the issue, with Harry’s lawyers saying the UK “will always be his home”.

In a preliminary hearing last month Harry’s lawyer, Shaheed Fatima QC, said the Duke doesn’t currently feel safe visiting Britain under current arrangements.

She said Harry wants to be able to “come back to see family and friends and support the charities that are so close to his heart”.

The Duke lost the usual taxpayer-funded security afforded to members of the Royal Family when he and his wife stepped down from their roles as working royals and moved to California in 2020.

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Harry has said he now wants to pay for police security himself, but Government lawyers said this offer was “irrelevant” to how officials make decisions over security for the royals.

The Duke now awaits a judge’s decision over whether his claim will be heard in full.

Meanwhile, speculation is growing over whether Harry will attend regardless of the security arrangements.

Russell Myers, the Daily Mirror’s royal editor and Ian Vogler, the publication’s royal photographer, recently spoke about Harry’s potential return on an episode of the podcast Pod Save The Queen.

Of Harry, Mr Myers said: “He’s put himself into a difficult position to be honest because of the court case which is ongoing against the British Government, claiming that he can’t come back to the UK or bring his family because it’s too dangerous.

“The fact that he had his security stripped away from him by the Home Office is obviously an ongoing issue.

“I think if it was something like the Duke of Edinburgh’s Thanksgiving Service, that probably does change it somewhat because, as the Home Office has said, he would be offered special protected persons category and they would give him the appropriate support and protection.”

Mr Vogler added: “We’re heading into the Invictus Games in April as well so I’m sure we’re going to see Harry, either at that service…

“He’s got to come for that [Prince Philip’s Memorial Service] surely. I think people looking to spot Harry, I think there’s going to be some sightings. I’m sure he’ll come for the memorial event.”

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