Will Prince Harry Skip Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee Celebration?
Hundreds of visitors went to Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey, which was held about a year after he passed away (via CNN). One notable guest was not in attendance, though: Prince Harry. The fact that Harry didn't make an appearance at the service made many people unhappy, per the Daily Mail. He had previously been back to his home country — after moving to California in 2020 with Meghan Markle — for Prince Philip's funeral at Windsor Castle in April 2021 (via Harper's Bazaar). The Duke of Sussex also visited the U.K. to unveil the statue of his late mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday (July 1, 2021), according to the Independent.
While Harry and Meghan made a surprise visit to the queen on their way to the Invictus Games in The Netherlands, there's another high-profile event coming up in the U.K. that calls for the Sussex's attention: Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee. The event is a celebration of Queen Elizabeth's 70 years on the throne. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have yet to confirm if they'll be attending any events for the Platinum Jubilee, many of which are happening in June. However, there's a hint that maybe they won't be in attendance at all, and it all comes down to polo.
Prince Harry's polo schedule might prevent his jubilee visit
Prince Harry has reportedly settled into California life, and he's recently found a place to play polo there, a game he played growing up in the U.K. The duke was spotted playing in a tournament at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, and his team, Los Padres, went on to win the match (per People). Royal reporter Omid Scobie posted on Twitter that Prince Harry will apparently be playing with Los Padres for "the entire 12 goal polo season," which includes the Cheval Athletics USPA Intra-Circuit from June 3-19. That first weekend in June is when Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee kicks off.
Scobie tweeted that the dates are for the overall tournament, not any specific match, so it may be possible for Prince Harry to celebrate the jubilee and play polo. However, there's another potential reason why he might not be in attendance, and it comes down to safety.
During his time in the U.K. for Princess Diana's statue unveiling, the car Prince Harry was in was reportedly chased by paparazzi (per Mirror). Having stepped down from official royal duties, Harry no longer has the same protection and security he had before. He has previously stated that he and Markle would pay for U.K. police protection while there, but that notion has been rejected (via the Daily Mail). Prince Harry has applied for a judicial review of the decision to keep himself and his family safe upon any future visit to the U.K. (per US Weekly).