When Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, passed away on April 9, 2021, at age 99, his funeral was held on April 17.

Meghan Markle, then pregnant with Lilibet, did not attend, a decision that raised many eyebrows. According to royal biographer Tom Bower, Queen Elizabeth II privately remarked to aides: “Thank goodness Meghan is not coming.”

Tensions Heightened by Oprah Interview

Just weeks before Philip’s death, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat down with Oprah Winfrey in a highly publicized interview. The couple detailed why they left royal life and accused the monarchy of mistreatment.

The timing was seen as deeply unfortunate, as Philip was hospitalized in February and underwent a medical procedure in March. Despite calls to delay the broadcast, the interview aired on March 7 in the US and March 8 in the UK.

Prince Philip reportedly described Harry’s decision to go public as “madness.” Brand and culture expert Nick Ede later noted the impact of their choice: “The timing was bad… The perception of the pair as being ruthless was obviously increased due to the timing and the ageing of both the prince but also the queen as well.”

A Strategic but Costly PR Move

Ede explained that the Oprah interview was their “golden opportunity” to share their side of the story. “They did what they wanted to do with the maximum PR affect,” he said, but added that hindsight shows they could have been more cautious.