Prince Harry to Miss Uncle Robert Fellowes’ Funeral in UK Over Security Concerns

The Duke of Sussex will not attend his uncle Robert Fellowes’ funeral due to security concerns, as understood by HELLO!

Lord Fellowes, who passed away at the age of 82 on July 29, 2024, was married to Prince Harry’s aunt, Jane Fellowes, the sister of Diana, Princess of Wales. He also served as the press secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth II for 13 years.

A private funeral will be held, but since stepping back as senior working royals in 2020, Harry and his wife, Meghan, have made only a few visits to the UK.

This is partly due to Harry not being provided with the same level of police protection as the royal family after he stopped being a working royal and moved to the US.

His security is now determined on a case-by-case basis, similar to other high-profile visitors to the UK. Under current conditions, the Duke must inform the authorities about any plans to travel to the UK 28 days in advance.

It is not known whether other members of the royal family, like the Prince and Princess of Wales or the King, will attend the funeral.

Harry took legal action against the Home Office over the February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different level of taxpayer-funded protection when in the country.

In a judgment in February, retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane rejected the Duke’s case, concluding Ravec’s approach was not irrational nor procedurally unfair.

However, it was reported in June that Harry received the go-ahead to challenge Sir Peter’s dismissal at the Court of Appeal, according to an order by Lord Justice Bean dated May 23.

At a hearing last December, Harry’s legal team read an excerpt from an emotional written witness statement in which the Duke explained why he and Meghan felt they had to move to the US after stepping back from their royal duties.

Harry wrote, “It was with great sadness for both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020.”

“The UK is my home. The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the US. That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil.”

“I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.”

The Duke’s last visit to the UK was in February following the news of his father, the King’s cancer diagnosis. Harry and Charles had a 45-minute meeting at Clarence House before the monarch departed for Sandringham.

Source: HELLO!