Prince Harry's security would be less at risk in the UK attending his grandfather's memorial service than in Holland for the Invictus Games, his ex-royal protection officer has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not be present to remember Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey on March 29.
The decision came with Harry - who lives with Meghan and their two children Archie, two, and Lilibet, nine months, in Montecito, California - currently pursuing a legal challenge against the Home Office.
The Queen was said to have been "upset" by the snub as the row over his security continues.
Harry will cross the Atlantic for The Hague and attend the Games next week and the police officer who guarded him and his mother says it would have been less risky to return to the UK last month.
Former Met Inspector Ken Wharfe told MailOnline that he is confused by the argument that Holland is safer than England for him.
He said: "I'm baffled about why Harry thinks he would be safer in the Netherlands than in the UK.
"He would have travelled to his grandfather's memorial service with his brother or father and received protection from the Met.
"It's not like he would have been turning up at Westminster Abbey on a bike."
He added: "The Dutch police will be doing their own security assessments and liaising with Harry's private security but my view it is more of a risk to go to Holland to support a charity with a military link than coming to London last week.
"Harry wants everything to be the way it was before he left for America."
The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee are in charge of protecting the Dutch royal family, their guests and visiting dignitaries.
The Dutch MoD said: "We take measures based on the security threat level."
The Duke of Sussex is challenging the 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures and has offered to fund his own protection when he visits the UK.
Harry was told he would no longer be given the same degree of personal protective security when visiting from the US - despite offering to pay for it himself.
But Harry “does not feel safe” when visiting under the current security arrangements, the court was previously told.
Harry is arguing that his private protection team in the US does not have adequate jurisdiction abroad or access to UK intelligence information which is needed to keep his family safe.
Parts of some documents in the Duke's claim against the Home Office will be kept secret, a High Court judge ruled as he criticised Harry's legal team for an 'entirely unacceptable' breach of court rules.
