Prince Harry's absence discussed at Prince Philip's memorial

Prince Harry's absence was reportedly discussed by attendees at Prince Philip's memorial which was held overnight at Westminster Abbey.

One guest, Richard Griffin, Prince Philip's former protection officer, labelled Harry's excuse for not attending "nonsense".

The royal said he was unable to return to the UK due to safety concerns, as he no longer has his own royal detail having resigned as a fulltime working member of the monarchy.

READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth honours her beloved late husband Prince Philip, attending emotional memorial service

Speaking to Sky News, Griffin said Harry's choice not to attend the memorial was "a big disappointment for everybody" and there was much discussion by man who "thought he should have been here".

"All this nonsense about he couldn't get protection, as far as I'm concerned that was a pathetic excuse, he should have been here to honour his grandfather," Griffin continued.

READ MORE: Prince Harry accused of doing 'nothing but feeding his chickens' in California as he skips grandfather's memorial

"At the end of the day, if he was that worried about security he could have stuck with his brother and father who have got wonderful security. He would have been more than safe."

Griffin said the service captured Prince Philip perfectly.

"To see the Queen come in and sit with her family, that was wonderful," he continued. "It was very emotional. I worked with Prince Philip for 14 years and travelled the world with him, I did a lot of things with him and deeply missed him when he died.

"Prince Philip had a big footprint on the service, you could see it right the way through."

"It was fantastic to be able to come today and pay our respects. It was a wonderful, wonderful service."

Prince Harry confirmed via his spokesperson that he would not be joining his family at the memorial. He will fly to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games on April 16 and reportedly intends to make a "personal visit" to see the Queen during his travels.

They will most likely visit at Windsor Castle where the Queen now resides.

Having been denied royal protection in the UK, Prince Harry sought a judicial review of the Home Office's decision not to provide police protection for him and his family. He has since launched legal action against The Mail on Sunday over their exclusive coverage of the matter, claiming it was defamatory.