Prince Harry fears Meghan Markle will skip Queen's funeral amid tension with royals: source

Prince Harry is worried that he would have to attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral alone, as he did Prince Philip's, amid reports of growing tensions between Meghan Markle and the royal family.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have attracted attention, both good and bad, since they returned to the U.K. on Sept. 5 and more so when they appeared at events following the death of Her Majesty. They even received criticism for holding hands after Wednesday's vigil honouring the former monarch.

Claims of racism directed at the former "Suits" star also surfaced after she and Prince Harry joined Prince William and Kate Middleton for a walkabout outside Windsor Castle on Saturday, Sept. 10. Suffice to say, there has been bad press surrounding the couple's attendance at official royal events.

Add to that, it was reported that King Charles III banned the 41-year-old from visiting Her Majesty at her deathbed on Sept. 8. He had allegedly called his son and told him that it would be inappropriate to have her at Balmoral Castle. It was initially reported that the Sussex couple will travel to Balmoral together. The back-and-forth resulted in the Duke of Sussex arriving at the estate two hours after Buckingham Palace announced the Queen's death.

Now it is believed that all this may be too much for Meghan Markle to handle, and she might decide to leave her husband in the U.K. The Duke of Sussex is said to be worried that his wife will skip Queen Elizabeth II's funeral altogether and jet back to California to be with their children Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1.

A source told Fox News that Prince Harry "is terrified of being left alone with a family that was once so close." The publication claimed that "given the response that she has received," Meghan Markle thinks "that she should go back to the U.S. ahead of the funeral and leave Harry with his family to attend it."

But Prince Harry "feels vulnerable and alone without her." On the other hand, Meghan Markle "is of two minds, too. If she leaves, she is deemed as showing no respect at all for the monarchy — a no-win situation." There is no confirmation though if Meghan Markle will return to California. Queen Elizabeth II's funeral will be on Sept. 19.