Royal family feared Meghan Markle would create ‘a spectacle’ at Philip’s funeral

Meghan Markle had stayed behind in the US while Prince Harry flew back to the UK for Prince Philip’s funeral in April this year.

And while many would have assumed her absence could come as a show of disrespect, the British royal family was “quietly pleased” about the Duchess of Sussex not being there.

This revelation was made in a new chapter of the couple biography, Finding Freedom, written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand.

According to the writers, the royals were afraid that Meghan’s attendance at the funeral could create a “circus” or a “spectacle” that would draw away attention from the Duke of Edinburgh, as the funeral happened a month after the pair’s explosive Oprah Winfrey interview.

That being said, the real reason why the former Suits actor could not fly to the UK with Harry was due to her being pregnant with the couple’s second child, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.