Harry’s UK trip will have ‘stirred up painful emotions’ as his ‘heart is on two sides of the Atlantic’, claims Paul Burrell
‘Being back in the UK, seeing his family - the family he has criticised - is extremely difficult’, says Diana’s former butler
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Your support makes all the difference.The Duke of Sussex’s recent visit to the UK to attend the funeral of his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, will have left him “totally torn” as his “heart is on two sides of the Atlantic” now, claims Paul Burrell.
The former butler, who worked for Princess Diana for 10 years and has known Prince Harry since he was three-years-old, said that his return to the UK “will have stirred up all kinds of painful emotions” in addition to the grief he feels at the loss of his grandfather.
In an interview with Closer, the royal insider said: “Harry's world was torn apart when he left the UK and moved to California last year - and now he's faced with the consequences. And in such devastating circumstances – to commemorate the loss of his grandpa.
“Being back in the UK, seeing his family - the family he has criticised - is extremely difficult. Seeing his beloved granny, the Queen, and to face his father and brother would not be easy. Even submerging himself back into the House of Windsor and the buildings that hold so many memories.
”The chapel - the same chapel where he married Meghan almost three years ago in very different circumstances. It will have stirred up all kinds of painful emotions for him. He will really have felt the impact of the decision he's made now and it'll hit home,” he said.
Burrell added that Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, will need to prepare for Harry’s return to the US, stating: “His heart is on two different sides of the Atlantic now.”
“Meghan will be faced with that dilemma – the bombshell that Harry now feels split in two. Meghan will believe that what they’ve done is right – but Harry will be feeling totally torn and so things will now have to change. She will have to figure out what their next steps will be. Those two – from different worlds – are going to have to work it out to align themselves.”
The royal insider added that returning to the funeral without the support of his wife would have been difficult for Prince Harry, particularly following their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in early March that sent shockwaves through the royal family.
Meghan, who is pregnant with the couple’s first daughter, was not given medical clearance to travel to the funeral so watched the service from the couple’s home in Santa Barbara, California.
Prince Harry resided at Frogmore Cottage whilst in the UK, the house where he previously lived with Meghan before their departure from the royal family in 2020.
In a tribute to his grandfather, Prince Harry wrote a statement referencing Prince Philip’s “seriously sharp wit” and describing him as “a man of service, honour and great humour.”
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