Prince Harry Panicked About Queen Elizabeth Being in Hospital

london, england may 18 queen elizabeth ii and prince harry attend at the annual chelsea flower show at royal hospital chelsea on may 18, 2015 in london, england photo by julian simmonds wpa pool getty images

(Image credit: WPA Pool)

published 28 October 2021

Living far away from family is never easy. That's why I can only empathize with Prince Harry, who got really worried when he heard that his grandmother the Queen had spent a night in hospital.

A source tells Us Weekly that the Duke of Sussex went into "panic mode" upon the news reaching him, and is hoping to make it to the UK sooner rather than later to be near his grandma.

"He felt helpless being 5,000 miles away in Montecito, [California,] and has been checking in non-stop with her," the source adds. The duke "feels guilty about not saying goodbye" to his grandfather Prince Philip, who died in April 2021, and is scared of a repeat with Queen Elizabeth, who is 95.

"[He] would never forgive himself if the same thing happened with his beloved grandmother," the source continues. To avoid it, he is "hoping to go back home for Christmas with Meghan, if not before so that she can finally get to meet Lilibet and see Archie again." It was previously reported that the Sussexes might make the journey to England for Christmas, though one royal expert was dubious.

The Queen's night in hospital came after she was advised to rest and cancel her planned trip to Northern Ireland. The monarch also pulled out of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, which starts on Oct. 31, but resumed key royal duties by meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, according to Express.

Prince Harry hasn't returned to the UK since July, when he attended the unveiling of a statue of his mother, Princess Diana. His wife, Meghan Markle, hasn't been back since the couple stepped down from their royal duties in March 2020. Their daughter Lilibet was born in California in June and has yet to meet any of her British relatives in person.

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.