Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been away from their children for 16 days but are expected to leave the UK shortly after attending the Queen’s state funeral, a source claims.
Harry and Meghan were in the UK when the Queen died and extended their stay to mourn the Prince's grandmother with his family.
Although Harry has stepped back from royal duties, he and Meghan took their place alongside his family for the ceremonies of the Queen’s state funeral on Monday.
But, a source close to the Royal Family told US Weekly that Harry and Meghan are anxious to return home to the US to see their children.
“Meghan and Harry are preparing to return to Montecito almost immediately after the funeral, where they’ll be reunited with Archie and Lilibet after being separated for over two weeks,” the insider said.
They also noted it was the “longest amount of time” the couple had spent apart from their children.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are parents to three-year-old Archie and Lilibet, who is 15 months old, headed to Europe on September 4.
They had initially planned to spend less than a week across the pond, speaking at a series of philanthropic events.
However, they extended their stay after the Queen died on September 8 and have been reunited with the Royal Family to grieve ever since.
The insider said: “They’ve missed the kids like crazy and have been FaceTiming them every day, but can’t wait to see and hold them again after a poignant few weeks.”
Harry rushed to be by the Queen’s side after being told her health had declined.
A spokesman for the King said: "The public was only informed after every family member had been informed."
However, Harry was reportedly only told about the Queen's death five minutes before the official announcement and tragically did not make it in time to say goodbye before she passed.
The Invictus Games founder, 38, was allegedly called by King Charles III when he was still on his way to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, and by the time he landed, Buckingham Palace had informed the public of the Queen’s death.
Prince Harry and Meghan, 41, reunited with the Royal Family for a number of outings and ceremonies since the monarch’s death.
The pair joined Prince William and Princess Kate in speaking to mourners at Windsor on September 10 and made another public appearance at the service to start the Queen’s lying-in-state at Westminster Hall four days later.
King Charles III, Prince William and Harry marched behind the Queen's coffin together in a solemn procession to Westminster Abbey on Monday as thousands of mourners lined the streets.
While the national period of mourning ended as of 11.59pm on September 19, the day of her state funeral, the Royal Family now has their own mourning to observe.
King Charles III set the length of this mourning period to 17 days, meaning there are seven more to go for the royals.
Royal engagements will continue to be scaled back as well, with only minor activities taking place.
It was not clear whether Harry and Meghan will stay in the country for the entirety of that period or return home to their children.
