PREGNANT MEGHAN LEFT BEHIND IN LA
Doctor warns Meghan against travel to the UK
Prince Harry moved mountains to ensure he could make it to be with his family as they farewelled its patriarch – even though it meant leaving his heavily pregnant wife behind at their California home.
According to several reports, 39-year-old Meghan’s doctor advised against her making the 10-hour flight to London, prompting speculation she’s in her eighth month of carrying the couple’s second child, a daughter.
“It wasn’t a decision Harry made lightly, leaving his wife at home with the possibility of going into labour at any minute, with Archie, who’s almost two and quite the handful,” says a source. “But the Duke of Edinburgh played a huge part in Harry’s upbringing and he had no choice.”
SAFETY NET
Sources tell Woman’s Day he left his wife in the care of her mother Doria Ragland, with her close friend Janina Gavankar on standby, too – not to mention a top team of doctors and doulas.
“It was a last-minute scramble to ensure they had a safety net and Harry felt comfortable leaving Meghan,” says a source. “But truth be told, I bet she was relieved to have the pregnancy as a buffer from having to accompany Harry. She knew all eyes would be on her, and after giving such a damning interview with Oprah, she expects the reception from the Windsors would’ve been frosty. She watched the coverage of Philip’s funeral from home, and her heart went out to her husband the whole time.”
Prince Charles was able to see his father one last time over Easter, but it was while the “Iron Duke” languished in a London hospital the month before that the pair were able to clear the often-tense air between them.
Charles was spotted wiping tears from his face as he left the meeting at the King Edward VII hospital, where it’s believed Philip – who had been admitted with an ongoing heart complication and an infection – made his dying wish that his eldest son “look after your mother”.
As part of their “full, frank and heartfelt discussion”, according to the UK Daily Mirror, Philip requested to be able to die at home in his own bed. They also discussed how Charles, 72, as the heir to the throne, should lead the monarchy into the future.
“They buried the hatchet on a lot of past grievances, too,” adds our source. “Charles and his dad weren’t often close, but they mended things when it mattered, which must be a huge source of comfort to the Queen.”
STEPPING UP
According to our sources, Buckingham Palace is preparing for the possibility that the Queen, stricken by grief after losing her husband of 73 years, may indeed agree to suggestions that she allow her son to act as Prince Regent – essentially, a king without the title – after her 95th birthday.
“She was never keen on it, but life without Prince Philip has changed her perspective on things,” says a source. “There will be discussions around Charles stepping up as her regent.”
In the meantime, the “core” royals are rallying to support Her Majesty, with UK reports that she will never have to attend a public engagement alone again if she doesn’t wish to.
Instead, she will be joined by at least one of her family members with senior rank, including Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
While the dutiful Queen has already returned to work – hosting a retirement ceremony for a senior aide four days after the death of her husband – insiders says there’ll be a “more concerted effort to ensure she has more support”.