Will Fans See Meghan And Harry Present At The Academy Awards?
Hollywood is gearing up for the 94th annual Academy Awards, which takes place on Sunday, March 27th, 2022. Among the mega stars who are planned presenters are Kevin Costner, Rami Malek, Jamie Lee Curtis, Mila Kunis and Simu Liu. But two celebrities may reportedly be on hand to outshine even the biggest names in movies. According to the Daily Mail, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may present the Oscar for Best Picture.
Of course, the Sussexs attending the prestigious awards show won't mark the first time a royal has been present at an Academy Awards ceremony. Grace Kelly, who later became the Princess of Monaco, won an Oscar for Best Actress in 1955 (via Hello!). Prince Albert, her son, and Princess Charlene attended the soiree 30 years later. Other royals have been guests at the Oscars over the years, but none as high profile as Harry and Meghan.
Their status in the royal hierarchy is not the reason everyone is talking about their attendance at the upcoming Hollywood event. Instead, as the Daily Mail notes, Harry recently made headlines when it was confirmed he will not travel to London to attend a memorial service for his grandfather, Prince Philip, who died last April (via USA Today).
Prince Harry will likely offend the royal family if he presents at the Oscars
What if Prince Harry saying "no" to flying to the U.K. is due to his decision not to travel internationally given the ongoing threat of the pandemic? It's not. As the Daily Mail reports, he has committed to taking part in the Invictus Games at the Hague in the Netherlands in April. As Newsweek notes, the royal helped found the event, which sees injured veterans and army members competing in physical challenges, and has been a big part of the annual games since.
Importantly, although Harry and Meghan were asked to present at this year's Oscars at the end of last year, they are yet to confirm their participation, with The U.S. Sun reporting they declined. But in light of Harry's decision to skip Philip's memorial, with the protection of his family still in question, one source close to the family has some thoughts. "It would be seen as a final kick in the teeth for the royal family if he did [go to the Oscars] – he's too nervous to fly to London without police protection, but happy to stand up in front of a huge live audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Not great optics," the person told The Sun.
Meanwhile, nominees in the category of Best Picture include "Belfast," "Coda," "Drive My Car," "Dune," "King Richard," "Licorice Pizza," "Nightmare Alley," "The Power of the Dog" and "West Side Story."