Prince Harry’s decision not to attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s Thanksgiving ceremony is a “slap in the face” to the Queen, according to a royal expert.

Rebecca English, the Royal Editor of the Daily Mail, has questioned why The Duke of Sussex is traveling to Europe for the Invictus Games yet is unable to come home to be at The Queen’s side.

English told Palace Confidential: “Within a couple of minutes of announcing that he would not be attending the Duke of Edinburgh’s service of thanksgiving, Harry’s team also announced that he would be attending the Invictus Games in the Hague in April, just a few weeks later.”

“This has obviously surprised a lot of people… to travel to Europe to go to that, but not to his grandfather’s memorial service has, to use a well-worn phrase, got people’s goat.

“They feel it is a slap in the face to the Queen and, again, another PR disaster as far as many people in the UK are concerned.”