Prince Harry's absence from UK 'very sad' as Duke of Sussex set to miss funeral
Prince Harry is set to miss the funeral of Robert Fellowes, former Private Secretary to HM Queen Elizabeth II
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Sources close to Prince Harry have said it is "very sad" that he is not planning to return to the UK for the funeral of his uncle.
Robert Fellowes, who died on July 29, was private secretary to Queen Elizabeth II from 1990 to 1999 and was married to Princess Diana’s sister Lady Jane.
He took the palace’s side in the power struggle over then-Prince Charles’ failing marriage causing Diana’s relationship with her sister to inevitably suffer.
While Harry was believed to be no great fan of Fellowes personally, he did reconcile with Jane as she gave a reading at Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018.
Prince Harry is set to miss the funeral of his uncle Robert Fellowes
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A friend of Harry told Daily Beast: "It’s just all very sad. The idea that he wouldn’t be there to support Jane in her grief would have been unimaginable a few years ago."
Some outlets have claimed that Harry is not returning for the funeral due to the fact that he no longer feels safe on British soil having been stripped of automatic security while in the country.
However, another source said that while this was part of the picture, challenging security arrangements were only one of a "multitude of reasons" why visits to the UK were problematic.
Harry and Meghan are due to travel to Colombia later this month for a tour of the country supporting an initiative aimed at combatting violence against children.
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Fellowes (right) took the palace’s side in the power struggle over then-Prince Charles’ failing marriage
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It comes as The Duke of Sussex’s Chief of Staff has left his role after just three months after mutually agreeing he was not the right fit. Josh Kettler took up the senior post working with Harry in May ahead of the Sussexes’ tour to Nigeria.
It is understood Kettler was hired on a trial basis and the decision to part ways was mutual, with both sides agreeing it was not the correct fit. Harry and Meghan have gained a reputation for being unable to retain staff as they forged ahead with their charitable and production ventures in the US.
Kettler, who was previously chief of staff at communication platform Cognixion, was said to have been brought in to guide Harry through the next phase.
The Foreign Office warns against all but essential travel to certain parts of Colombia, with kidnapping rates remaining high.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be going on a trip to Colombia
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Harry maintained last month it was "still dangerous" for Meghan to return to the UK.
In the ITV documentary Tabloids On Trial, the duke said: "All it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read and whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country."
Harry lost a High Court challenge against the Home Office in February over a decision to change the level of his personal security when he visits the UK, but he has been given the green light to appeal.
During the case, the court was told Harry believes his children cannot "feel at home" in the UK if it is “not possible to keep them safe" there and that he faces a greater risk than his late mother, with "additional layers of racism and extremism."