Meghan Markle won’t attend Prince Philip’s funeral on April 17 because she didn’t get medical clearance to fly but Prince Harry is planning to travel to the UK for his grandfather’s funeral, the representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Insider Saturday.
Markle is pregnant with the couple’s second child, a girl, and is due this summer, however her exact due date is not known. It’s also unclear whether Markle has been vaccinated.
36-year-old Harry is preparing to head back to the U.K. in the coming days and it will be the first time he has been in the country in over a year. It is also the first time he will have seen members of the Royal Family since his and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey aired last month.
Taking the occasional flight during pregnancy is largely safe if you don’t have pregnancy related or other health problems that make flying risky.
Pregnant women should take some additional precautions to manage potential risks. For one, both pregnancy and air travel raise the risk of blood clots, it’s important for pregnant travelers to stand, walk around, or do leg exercises like ankle circles to improve circulation. Compression socks can help, too.
Flying also means potentially hitting a patch of severe turbulence, which could be dangerous for the developing fetus. That’s why ACOG emphasizes pregnant passengers’ use of seat belts while seated.
And most airlines won’t allow people on flights if they are 36 weeks pregnant or beyond. The rationale: “That is the point at which labor could more often occur,” Williams said, “and no one wants to have to ground a plane because you are going into labor.”
With the guest list limited to 30 people under U.K. government guidelines due to COVID, it is expected that Prince Philip’s immediate family, including his children and grandchildren, will make up the bulk of those present in St. George’s Chapel.
