Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘are being lined up to present the Best Picture Oscar’ next week despite both pulling out of Prince Philip’s memorial service.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were said to have been approached at the end of last year, but it is not yet known whether they have agreed to attend the event, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 27 – just two days before the London service.According to reports, Harry and Meghan had initially been lined up to present the award for Best Actress in a nod to their work on women’s rights, but the plan was scrapped after Kristen Stewart was nominated for her role in Spencer, a film about the life of Diana.
A source told The Sun newspaper: ‘It would be seen as a final kick in the teeth for the royal family if he did – he’s too nervous to fly to London without police protection, but happy to stand up in front of a huge live audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Not great optics.’
It comes days after Harry confirmed he won’t be attending a memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey on March 29, but said he will be attending the Invictus Games at The Hague in the Netherlands next month in a bizarre joke video which was pilloried by royal experts who said: ‘His grandfather would have given him a clip around the ear and told him to grow up.’
The decision not to attend the service comes after the duke took the Government to court over its decision not to provide full police protection when he visits Britain, his lawyers saying that Harry does ‘not feel safe’ without the protection of Scotland Yard officers.
