Harry might skip Princess Diana's statue unveiling after 'frosty' meeting with family at Prince Philip's funeral

Prince Harry may choose to skip the unveiling of his mother Princess Diana's statue at Kensington Palace this summer, a visit that was planned for a long time and was expected to be a medium of reconciliation with his brother Prince William.

Royal expert Russell Myers claimed on talkRadio that Harry is so "shocked" at the way his family greeted him at his grandfather Prince Philip's funeral, that he will make any excuse to avoid seeing them again anytime soon. After the "very, very cold reception," the Duke of Sussex might use the birth of his second child, a daughter, as a "convenient excuse" to not "face the family" at the upcoming event in July. The pregnancy was also revealed to be the reason Meghan Markle could not attend the recent funeral of Prince Philip.

However, the statue unveiling is also an important event for Harry, and as of now, he has not made any indication of pulling out from that. Myers said: "I'm told he is still committed to coming. Both camps are. Certainly Kate and William will welcome him if he wants to come back."

The said statue will be installed in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace on 1st July 2021, marking what would have been Diana's 60th birthday. It was commissioned in 2017 to mark the twentieth anniversary of her death and recognise her positive impact in the UK and around the world.

Myers added about Harry's plans for the event: "His intention is to come back. One may wonder, if his wife has just had a baby, I'm sure he could jump on a private jet and make a flying visit. But, will it be a convenient excuse so he doesn't have to come back and face the family?'"

"I think a lot will determine what happens in the interim period. Some quarters of the family did give him a frosty reception and perhaps that did shock him somewhat," Myers said about Harry's experience at the funeral held just weeks after his and Meghan's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.

"I don't think we will realise the fallout of that Oprah Winfrey interview for some time. Maybe once we get back to a bit of normality, the rest of the family will start thinking about that a bit more carefully. It might not be good news for Harry," Myers added.