London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jan 19, 2026

Meghan 'is also grieving because she's lost a family member', friend says

Meghan 'is also grieving because she's lost a family member', friend says

Meghan Markle is also grieving the loss of Prince Philip and her thoughts are ‘very much’ with the family today, her friend has said.

The Duchess of Sussex was advised by her doctor not to fly from California for today’s funeral because she is pregnant with her and Prince Harry’s second child.

Tensions remain between the Royal Family and the Sussexes, one month after their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey which sent shockwaves through the palace.

Harry, who was seen walking together with his brother William after the ceremony, could have a chance to build bridges with the family while he is back in the UK.

Meghan hasn’t had the same opportunity, but her friend and London-based journalist Omid Scobie said ‘her mind is very much on the situation over here’.

Speaking to ABC, he said: ‘We know that she’s supporting Harry in this very difficult week for him, but she’ll also be sad because this is also the loss of a family member for her.

‘She grew very close to the Queen and Prince Philip over the recent years. It was probably her strongest relationship within the family and those relations then get smaller this week. It’ll be a sad day for her.’

Meghan was advised by her doctor not to fly to the UK as she is pregnant

Pallbearers carry the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin in St George’s Chapel




Meghan was watching the funeral from her home and she and Harry had both chosen flowers for a wreath laid in honour of Philip in St George’s Chapel.

It contained a handwritten note from the Duchess, although it is not known what she said.

Leading CBS’s coverage of the funeral was Gayle King, who said she suspects ‘family differences will be set aside for the day’.

She added: ‘William and Harry, there’s no secret about this, have had a strained relationship you could say since Harry stepped away from his royal duties.’

A Buckingham Palace source told the Daily Mail that everyone was ‘walking in eggshells’ prior to the Duke of Sussex’s return to the UK.

They added: ‘To be fair, William and Harry have made clear they wish to focus on mourning their grandfather and do not want anything to get in the way of that.

‘But it has made everyone doubly nervous about saying anything that could be remotely construed of being critical of the other side. It’s been a minefield.’



It’s been just over a month since Harry and Meghan’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey

William and Harry were separated as they walked into the chapel, but they got the chance to speak after the ceremony


William and Harry were separated by their cousin Peter Phillips as they walked in a line behind their grandfather’s coffin today.

But after the ceremony, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, dropped back and let the estranged brothers walk together.

The pair were separated for more than a year following a rift, with Harry admitting their relationship is ‘space at the moment’ after he stepped down as a senior royal for good.

It comes after Harry and Meghan made a number of explosive claims about the Royal Family.

Perhaps one of the most shocking, was that unnamed member of the family was accused of raising ‘concerns’ about what colour their baby Archie’s skin would be.

Meghan, 39, also said she had suicidal thoughts as she struggled with the pressure of being a senior royal, and claimed she couldn’t get any help from Buckingham Palace.

She also suggested Archie was not given the title of prince because he is mixed-race, something royal experts have disputed, saying he didn’t get this title due to a specific part of royal protocol.

Meghan also said she received no help from the palace in shutting down rumours that she made Kate Middleton cry during a bridesmaid dress fitting, claiming it was actually the other way round.

Harry said his father Charles ‘stopped taking his calls’ after his move to the US and spoke of a deep rift between him and his brother William.

In the aftermath of the interview, Buckingham Palace said in a statement that the racial issues raised were ‘concerning’. It added that some ‘recollections may vary’.

William later commented: ‘We are very much not a racist family.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Meghan Markle May Return to the U.K. This Summer as Security Review Advances
Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat Sparks EU Response and Risks Deep Transatlantic Rift
Prince Harry’s High Court Battle With Daily Mail Publisher Begins in London
Trump’s Tariff Escalation Presents Complex Challenges for the UK Economy
UK Prime Minister Starmer Rebukes Trump’s Greenland Tariff Strategy as Transatlantic Tensions Rise
Prince Harry’s Last Press Case in UK Court Signals Potential Turning Point in Media and Royal Relations
GDP Growth Remains the Most Telling Barometer of Britain’s Economic Health
Prince William and Kate Middleton Stay Away as Prince Harry Visits London Amid Lingering Rift
Britain Braces for Colder Weather and Snow Risk as Temperatures Set to Plunge
Mass Protests Erupt as UK Nears Decision on China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London
Prince Harry to Return to UK to Testify in High-Profile Media Trial Against Associated Newspapers
Keir Starmer Rejects Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat as ‘Completely Wrong’
Trump to hit Europe with 10% tariffs until Greenland deal is agreed
Prince Harry Returns to UK High Court as Final Privacy Trial Against Daily Mail Publisher Begins
Britain Confronts a Billion-Pound Wind Energy Paradox Amid Grid Constraints
The graduate 'jobpocalypse': Entry-level jobs are not shrinking. They are disappearing.
Cybercrime, Inc.: When Crime Becomes an Economy. How the World Accidentally Built a Twenty-Trillion-Dollar Criminal Economy
The Return of the Hands: Why the AI Age Is Rewriting the Meaning of “Real Work”
UK PM Kier Scammer Ridicules Tories With "Kamasutra"
Strategic Restraint, Credible Force, and the Discipline of Power
United Kingdom and Norway Endorse NATO’s ‘Arctic Sentry’ Mission Including Greenland
Woman Claiming to Be Freddie Mercury’s Secret Daughter Dies at Forty-Eight After Rare Cancer Battle
UK Launches First-Ever ‘Town of Culture’ Competition to Celebrate Local Stories and Boost Communities
Planned Sale of Shell and Exxon’s UK Gas Assets to Viaro Energy Collapses Amid Regulatory and Market Hurdles
UK Intensifies Arctic Security Engagement as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Fuels Allied Concern
Meghan Markle Could Return to the UK for the First Time in Nearly Four Years If Security Is Secured
Meghan Markle Likely to Return to UK Only if Harry Secures Official Security Cover
UAE Restricts Funding for Emiratis to Study in UK Amid Fears Over Muslim Brotherhood Influence
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks to Safeguard Long-Term Agreement Stability
Starmer’s Push to Rally Support for Action Against Elon Musk’s X Faces Setback as Canada Shuns Ban
UK Free School Meals Expansion Faces Political and Budgetary Delays
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks With Britain
Germany Hit by Major Airport Strikes Disrupting European Travel
Prince Harry Seeks King Charles’ Support to Open Invictus Games on UK Return
Washington Holds Back as Britain and France Signal Willingness to Deploy Troops in Postwar Ukraine
Elon Musk Accuses UK Government of Suppressing Free Speech as X Faces Potential Ban Over AI-Generated Content
Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missile in Strike on Ukraine
OpenAI and SoftBank Commit One Billion Dollars to Energy and Data Centre Supplier
UK Prime Minister Starmer Reaffirms Support for Danish Sovereignty Over Greenland Amid U.S. Pressure
UK Support Bolsters U.S. Seizure of Russian-Flagged Tanker Marinera in Atlantic Strike on Sanctions Evasion
The Claim That Maduro’s Capture and Trial Violate International Law Is Either Legally Illiterate—or Deliberately Deceptive
UK Data Watchdog Probes Elon Musk’s X Over AI-Generated Grok Images Amid Surge in Non-Consensual Outputs
Prince Harry to Return to UK for Court Hearing Without Plans to Meet King Charles III
UK Confirms Support for US Seizure of Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker in North Atlantic
Béla Tarr, Visionary Hungarian Filmmaker, Dies at Seventy After Long Illness
UK and France Pledge Military Hubs Across Ukraine in Post-Ceasefire Security Plan
Prince Harry Poised to Regain UK Security Cover, Clearing Way for Family Visits
UK Junk Food Advertising Ban Faces Major Loophole Allowing Brand-Only Promotions
Maduro’s Arrest Without The Hague Tests International Law—and Trump’s Willingness to Break It
German Intelligence Secretly Intercepted Obama’s Air Force One Communications
×