Prince Harry and Meghan may take the stage at Oscars amid backlash over skipping Philip's memorial

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could make a special guest appearance  at the Oscars ceremony next weekend.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are enjoying life in California after quitting the  royal  duties,  may present the biggest award of the night and announce the winner of the Best Picture Award during the star-studded event at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

This comes after the Duke pulled out of his grandfather Prince Philip's memorial service, having previously expressed concerns about his safety in the UK.

A source told the Sun: "Obviously they’d be a huge coup this year, and could use their appearance to make an impassioned speech of their choosing, most likely Ukraine.

"Show producers Will Packer and Shayla Cowan have lined up some amazing A-list names to take to the stage and Harry and Meghan would be the icing on the cake."

"It would be seen as a final kick in the teeth for the royal family if Harry did – he’s too nervous to fly to London without police protection, but happy to stand up in front of a huge live audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Not great optics," it added.