The Duke of Sussex will return to the UK this week to attend his grandfather’s funeral at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Saturday.
It will be the first time that Prince Harry has visited the UK since he and Meghan Markle stepped back from royal duties last March.
And, like other international arrivals, he will have to follow the government’s coronavirus travel rules.
Will Meghan be coming to the funeral?
No. The Duke of Sussex will fly in from his home in the US to join other members of the Royal Family at the ceremony but he will be coming alone.
Buckingham Palace says his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, who is pregnant with their second child, has been advised by her doctor not to travel.
Will Harry have to quarantine on arrival?
The current rules say people arriving in the UK must:
- Take a Covid-19 test during the three days before departure and test negative
- Fill out a passenger declaration form (giving details of where they will be staying)
- Quarantine for 10 days and take further Covid-19 tests on day two and day eight
There are certain exemptions. You are not required to quarantine or take tests if you arrive in the UK from the Common Travel Area, for example Ireland.
The 10-day quarantine for the prince would not be at a quarantine hotel (as the US is not currently on the government’s “red list” of countries, requiring extra measures).
The government advice says people can quarantine in their own home, “with friends and family” or in a hotel or other form of temporary accommodation.
Guidance on holding a funeral in England – during lockdown – says that mourners who have come from abroad can leave their place of quarantine “in limited circumstances, including on compassionate grounds”.
This includes “attending a funeral of a household member, a close family member or a friend”.
They must continue to self-isolate at all other times though and must follow the rules on social distancing.
Lastly, the prince could opt to end his 10-day quarantine early.
The government’s “Test to Release” scheme allows people to pay for a private Covid test to be taken five days into quarantine and – if it is negative – they can stop isolating.
But, to take advantage of this, Prince Harry would have to arrive in the UK very soon.
Source: BBC
