Prince Harry denied 'diplomatic immunity' for grandfather Prince Philip's funeral: Report

As Prince Harry has arrived back into the UK, the royal commentators have said that the Duke of Sussex will face logistical challenges instead of gaining “diplomatic immunity”. On April 12 UK media outlets had reported that Prince Harry has arrived back home, for the first time since he and his wife Meghan Markle left for California, ahead of Prince Philip’s funeral on Saturday. Following his arrival, ITV’s Royal Rota podcast discussed the challenges the Duke of Sussex will face and said that he will have to quarantine, which is something he could’ve gotten away with “diplomatic immunity”. 

Host Chris Ship told listeners that he believes that Prince Harry didn’t get any immunity because the Royal family didn’t want to be seen to be getting any special treatment. Co-host Lizzie Robinson then added that the Prince will fall in the line with COVID-19 protocols. She added that the Duke of Sussex will quarantine and will get tested in a bid to be released in time for the funeral.

Ship further explained that Prince Harry will take two tests, one on arrival and one on the fifth day, and if they both are negative, he would be released from the quarantine. Given his status as a member of the royal family travelling to support the Queen, it was earlier speculated that Prince Harry might be exempted from travel restrictions. In Britain, some exemptions even apply to members of diplomatic missions and consular posts and officers, servants or representatives of international organisations among others. 

However, now it is believed that for public health reasons, Prince Harry didn’t get any “diplomatic immunity” and instead was encouraged to complete tests on days two and five after arrival. It is worth mentioning that under the current government regulations, anyone travelling to England must quarantine for 10 days. So Prince Harry didn’t get “immunity” per se, but he did get a reduced self-isolation period through “test to release” scheme. 

Prince Harry pays tribute to grandfather Philip  

Meanwhile, on April 12 Prince Harry paid tribute to his grandfather Prince Philip who died on April 9 at the age of 99 at Windsor Castle. In a statement, the Duke of Sussex remembers Prince Philip as a “ma of service, honour and great humour”. He also said that the Duke of Edinburgh will be remembered as the “longest-reigning consort to the monarch”. 

Prince Harry said, “My grandfather was a man of service, honour and great humour”. “He will be remembered as the longest-reigning consort to the monarch, a decorated serviceman, a prince and a duke. But to me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year, he was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, the legend of banter, and cheeky right 'til the end,” he added. 

(Image: AP)