DUKE BROUGHT GRACE, HUMOUR TO CANADA TOURS.

Pregnant Meghan unlikely to join him

LONDON • The Duke of Sussex is expected to return to the U.K. for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, despite travel restrictions and a bitter family rift.

But it is thought unlikely that the Duchess, 39, who is heavily pregnant with their second child, will join him.

Prince Harry, 36, was close to his grandfather but is not thought to have seen him in person since autumn 2019.

A short personal statement on the Sussexes’ Archewell Foundation website Friday paid tribute to the duke, saying: “You will be greatly missed.”

The last time the duke was pictured with his grandson was in May 2019, as they stood with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, smiling at newborn Archie in his mother’s arms at Windsor Castle.

While tensions between the Sussexes and the rest of the Royal Family are still running high following the couple’s Oprah Winfrey interview, the Queen has maintained throughout that the couple remain muchloved members of her family.

Prince Harry’s attendance at the funeral will mark a pivotal moment: the first time he has been seen with his family since the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in March 2020.

One royal source told the New York Post of the funeral: “He will, of course, be there, no matter how difficult relations are between the Sussexes and the family.”

Another source was quoted as saying: “Harry will do his utmost to get back to the U.K. and be with his family. He will want nothing more than to be there for his family, and particularly his grandmother, during this awful time.”

Most people travelling to the U.K. must test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of their flight and then quarantine for 10 days. But there is an exemption when attending the funeral of a close family member.

The duke was understood to be deeply disappointed by the couple’s decision to step away from their royal duties.

Last January, ahead of the Sandringham Summit at which senior members of the family thrashed out the terms of the Sussexes’ departure, he was pictured being driven away from the house, suggesting he did not even see his grandson.

However, Prince Harry’s last public comments about his grandfather suggested they were on good terms.

In a television interview with James Corden in February, he described how the 99-year-old conducted Zoom calls.

“We’ve Zoomed them a few times,” he said of his grandparents. “They’ve seen Archie running around.”

He laughed as he recalled how the duke slammed his laptop shut to end a call.