Ardent monarchist urges Harry to reconcile with family at funeral
A record-breaking royalist has expressed her hope that the Duke of Sussex will be reconciled with his family when he returns to Britain for his grandfather's funeral.
Anita Atkinson, 64, who has more than 12,000 items of royal memorabilia and has set up a museum in a converted dairy on her farm in Weardale, County Durham, also said she was deeply sad that the funeral on Saturday would not be a public event.
In the past she has camped out for days to get a good spot on the procession route for royal marriages and funerals.
The passionate royalist, who has studied the monarchy in depth, met the Duke of Edinburgh when he was on a walkabout for the Queen's 80th, with Philip then bringing his wife over to talk to Mrs Atkinson.
She hoped the royal family can use the occasion to mend relationships following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's move to California and their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Sipping a cup of tea from a Union flag mug, the grandmother-of-four said: "I hope there is a reconciliation between Harry and the rest of the family.
"I think this is the chance, there's not going to be another one.
"What was said will take a long time to forgive, I think what has been said should not have been said, but it has been and you cannot take it back now.
"If they cannot reconcile and become friends again over
this, then it's their last chance."
Mrs Atkinson, who is in the process of having her collection of books, cups, plates, posters and other memorabilia officially recognised as the world's largest, added: "I am devastated [Philip's funeral] won't be a state funeral. "He deserves a state funeral. "There would have been a million people camped on the streets of London. It's just a shame we cannot show how we felt about Prince Philip,
for the role he has done, how grateful we are, so the Queen can see it."
Police are carrying out specialist searches as preparations continue for the funeral. Thames Valley Police said officers were examining street furniture including phone boxes, post boxes, drains and bins as part of the operation.
Thames Valley Police said it has put a range of visible and covert security measures in place for Saturday, includ
ing automated number plate checks, use of CCTV and of barriers to prevent attacks using vehicles, as well as armed and mounted officers being on patrol.
Police have asked the public not to gather by royal residences, to avoid meeting in large groups, to minimise travel and to make a donation to charity instead of laying floral tributes.
Reiterating the requests made by the Royal Household
and the Government, the force also pointed mourners towards an online book of condolence to pay their respects.
The BBC has reportedly received more than 100,000 complaints about its coverage of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, a record in British TV history. The broadcaster set up a dedicated webpage for viewers to lodge their dissatisfaction.