Prince Harry Is Being Advised to Return Home to UK to Bid Prince Philip a Final Goodbye

Palace insiders have advised Prince Harry to fly home for Prince Philip amid the elder royal's hospitalization. Royals are reportedly so concerned with the Duke of Edinburgh's health that Prince Harry has been told to return to the U.K. to say goodbye to his grandfather, according to a source.

"There are lots of discussions about what to do with the problem of Meghan [Markle] and Harry, where to seat them and how to protect them from the British public who could boo them," the source said in a Style Caster report.

U.K. royal commentators are hoping that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry would cancel their Oprah interview before it airs on CBS while the Duke of Edinburgh is still in the hospital.

Reports said Prince Harry has already organized a private jet to fly to U.K., and he would likely be tested for COVID-19 before leaving the U.S. and upon his arrival in Britain.

Prince Harry Wants to Delay Oprah Interview

Prince Philip, 99, has been hospitalized on Feb. 16 after he felt unwell." Buckingham Palace said that he was moved on Monday to a specialist heart hospital to continue treatment for an undisclosed infection.

"Anything could hijack this interview. Philip is ill. He is 99 and could die at any time," Penny Junor, one royal expert, said in a report.

On the other hand, the royal biographer, Robert Jobson, isn't so sure if it would be appropriate to postpone the said interview.

Jobson said even if they wanted to, Prince Harry and Meghan could not dictate terms to Oprah Winfrey and the network as too much has already been invested.

Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator and former editor of "Who's Who," said it would be right to postpone the interview. He noted that Oprah is their friend and neighbor and would no doubt comply if they asked, according to The Daily Beast report.

A TV industry insider said that CBS has already sold millions of dollars' worth of advertising around the interview, adding that the bosses are aware of the state of health of Prince Philip.

However, the insider added that they have no loyalty to the royal family, although they might feel that they do to Harry and Meghan.

Will Meghan Markle Come?

Prince Harry is planning to make the trip from his home in Santa Barbara, California. However, Meghan Markle and their young son will stay behind.

Supporters of the Duchess and insider are coming to her defense, saying that her decision to stay in the U.S. is not a snub against the royal family. Many said that it was a decision to stay safe due to the current pandemic, Travel and Leisure reported.

Co-author of the Sussexes biography "Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie, said that neither Meghan Markle nor Prince Harry had been vaccinated, and travel plans are still very much up in the air. Scobie added that it seems easier for Prince Harry to do the trip solo.

Another source noted that Meghan's choice to stay home might also be an effort to avoid intense media criticism for the entire royal family. The source said that if Meghan Markle comes back, it would feel like it would overshadow the trip's purpose.