Royal watchers were surprised to learn that Prince Harry had made a fleeting visit to the UK to attend the funeral of his uncle, Robert Fellowes - an appearance which had been widely ruled out prior to the event.
Just days after Robert’s sad passing was announced at the end of July, it was widely understood that the Prince would be unable to attend the funeral due to “security concerns”, amid his ongoing battle with the Home Office about his UK security arrangements.
© Chris JacksonMuch to everyone’s surprise - including attendees at the private funeral, which was held on 28 August in Snettisham, Norfolk - Harry did make it to the funeral with very few people knowing of his plans.
In episode one of the new season of A Right Royal Podcast, HELLO!’s royal editor Emily Nash tells host Andrea Caamano the reason why the father-of-two was adamant about keeping his trip a secret from practically everyone.
© Getty“This was kept so secret that many people close to the family were totally unaware, and a lot of people attending the funeral were really taken by surprise,” Emily says in the new episode, which you can listen to below.
She added that the secrecy surrounding his trip “meant that it wouldn't distract from the funeral itself” and that Harry's “key motivation” was that he didn’t want the funeral to become a spectacle.
“He didn't want this to be the focus of, obviously, a very sad day for his family,” Emily said.
Elsewhere in the episode, Emily talks about reports that indicate that Prince Harry is to return to royal duties as well as giving a recap on what the royals have been up to this summer.
In the episode, Emily and Andrea are also joined by HELLO! colleagues Sophie Vokes-Dudgeon, Jessica Callan and Sally Morgan, who were fortunate to head to Norway last week to attend the wedding of Princess Martha Louise of Norway and Durek Verrett.
