It has been confirmed that Prince Harry will fly to London to be at the funeral of his grandfather, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, set to take place next Saturday.
In a brief statement issued by Buckingham Palace, it has been revealed that Prince Harry will not be accompanied by his wife, Meghan Markle, who will not be able to travel because her pregnancy is well advanced.
Baby Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor will remain in California with his mother.
A royal spokesman spoke to PEOPLE on Saturday afternoon and revealed: “The Duke of Sussex is planning to attend. The Duchess of Sussex has been advised by her physician not to travel. So the duke will be attending.”
Royal staff members have been asked to prepare Frogmore Cottage for the arrival of Prince Harry.
According to royal insiders, The Duke of Sussex is rushing to be in England to fulfill his grandfather’s last wish — reconciliation with his brother, Prince William, and the rest of the royal family.
A person familiar with the situation explained that Prince Harry would honor Prince Philip by standing shoulder to shoulder with Prince William and walk behind the casket on their grandfather’s final resting place.
The source went on to say that Prince Harry and his older brother will find a way to reunite and start the process of reconciliation in the midst of the devasting grief.
One royal source said: “It’s strained, there is a lot of hurt, arguably on both sides, and those sides don’t see eye to eye with each other right now. The issues will not be resolved quickly, certainly not over the immediate period, but perhaps in certain quarters there is faith there can be a cooling off, which would lead to conversation, then perhaps a reconciliation.”
The aide added: “Both are fully aware of their shared history and will no doubt remember what impact their grandfather had on their life growing up. There is hope under an occasion such as this, where the brothers are united in grief, that a corner may be turned.”
Many people with inside knowledge of the royal family revealed that Prince Philip was very present in the lives of young Prince William, 15 at the time, and Harry, 12, after the devastating death of their mother, Princess Diana, in 1997.
In The Diana Chronicles, author Tina Brown revealed: “A member of the Balmoral staff noted that Prince Philip, who had effectively lost his own mother at the age of ten when she was committed for three years to an asylum in Switzerland, was brilliantly effective with his grandsons, offering them gruff tenderness and outdoor activities like stalking and hiking to tire them out.”
Prince Philip, who knew it would be extremely difficult for the boys to take part in the procession from Kensington Palace for Diana’s funeral, offered to walk with them.
He told his grandsons before the service: “I’ll walk if you walk.”
