The Duchess of Sussex, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will not join the Duke of Sussex when he visits London next week, according to the Press Association. No decision has been made regarding whether the family will accompany Harry for other parts of his UK visit outside the capital.
Background of the Visit
Harry had planned to be joined by Meghan and their children on his five-day trip to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham. However, reports earlier this week indicated the duke was still trying to find a safe way to bring his wife and children to the UK, amid concerns over their security and confusion over where they would stay.
The duke was awaiting a review by the Risk Management Board (RMB), part of the process by which the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) rules on his security requirements. Reports suggest a request for police protection had been turned down.
Royal Residences and Family Meetings
It is unclear whether this means Harry and his family will go to another royal residence outside of London and whether they will meet the King at all. The children are not expected to attend any public events, but it was previously reported Meghan was scheduled to join her husband on visits to the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London and an Invictus event at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.
There are hopes the King will be able to reunite with his youngest grandchildren for the first time in four years. Archie, seven, and Lili, five, last saw their grandfather in person during Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebrations in 2022.
Security and Legal Battles
It is believed the family will not receive taxpayer-funded protection while in the UK, other than when they are within royal residences. Harry has faced a protracted legal battle with the Home Office over the security arrangements for him and his family when in the UK after his level of protection changed when he stepped down as a working royal in 2020.
When the duke lost a Court of Appeal challenge against the Home Office last year, he gave a BBC interview in which he expressed hopes of a reconciliation with his family, revealing Charles would not speak to him because of his security court case. Harry added: “I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point and the things that they’re going to miss is, well, everything you know.”
Relations with the Royal Family
The duke, who stepped down from the working monarchy six years ago, has levelled a barrage of accusations at the King, his stepmother the Queen, brother the Prince of Wales and sister-in-law the Princess of Wales in his Oprah interview, Netflix documentary, interviews and his autobiography Spare since moving to California.
