When we heard, just days after Trooping the Colour, that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would travel to the UK with their children, I believed the broad strokes of the British reporting. It sounded believable and probable, that Harry wanted Meghan to join him at the Invictus Games One Year to Go events, and that he wanted to bring his kids over to spend time with his dad and the Spencers. Prince Harry and Meghan’s team didn’t confirm anything for a week and a half, but they (significantly) didn’t deny anything either. My theory is that the reporting originated from palace courtiers, sources who likely spilled their guts as soon as Harry gave RAVEC the necessary 30-days notice. As in, the same senior courtiers sitting on RAVEC got one month’s notice and couldn’t wait to leak it to the Sun and Mail. In any case, Harry and Meghan’s California team have now confirmed lots of details about the trip.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are bringing their family to the U.K. for the first time in four years, PEOPLE has learned. It will be the first time that Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, have been in the country since they visited to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth in 2022.
The family plans to stay across a mixture of both royal residence and private accommodation. While Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will travel with their parents, PEOPLE understands they will not attend any public engagements.
Harry has long maintained that he does not feel it is safe to bring Meghan and their children to the U.K. after losing their taxpayer-funded police protection in 2020. PEOPLE understands that a review of his security arrangements by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC), which could affect the level of protection he receives during U.K. visits, has yet to conclude. Representatives for the Duke say RAVEC’s own terms of reference call for a Risk Management Board review at least once a year, but Harry’s last review was conducted nearly seven years ago.
However, if the Sussexes stay at one of the King’s residences, they would be covered by the existing security arrangements at the property. Buckingham Palace revealed on June 19 that King Charles had offered Harry and his family accommodation on a royal estate during their visit, though it has not been disclosed where they will stay.
During their time in the U.K., PEOPLE has learned that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will carry out a series of public engagements centered around the Invictus Games Foundation and Prince Harry’s longtime charitable work. Harry will attend the 14th Invictus Games Foundation Conversation: From Policy to Practice at Chatham House, while he and Meghan will also take part in a series of private meetings with the Invictus Games Foundation at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. As patron of WellChild, Harry will visit Birmingham Children’s Hospital to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the charity’s first WellChild Nurse.
To mark one year until the 2027 Invictus Games, the couple will visit Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC), the primary venue for the Games. Harry will watch and participate in a series of exhibition events alongside competitors from previous Invictus Games, officially launching the one-year countdown while showcasing both classic and new adaptive sports that will feature in Birmingham.
In his role as Global Ambassador for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, Harry will also attend Scotty’s Summer Festival at Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire. The charity supports bereaved military children and young people.
I enjoy that Team Sussex’s briefing is very work-focused, and it’s a reminder that this visit actually is a work trip. Meghan clearly wants to join Harry at many (if not all) of these events as well. Which will inevitably cause the most consternation among the left-behinds. They’re going to be crying for weeks/months about Harry and Meghan “acting royal” and “undertaking royal-style engagements” because H&M are doing things like “visiting hospitals” and “attending a WellChild event.” The Telegraph’s headline about all of this was: “Meghan to visit hospital in first UK engagement in six years.” They’re so excited, but they have to pretend to be furious and outraged.
Also: Harry and Meghan are making it clear that Archie and Lili are not going to attend any events or be out in public in any way. The British press practically has bounties on those kids, and several of the tabloids are salivating at the very idea of publishing photos of cute ginger children. It’s not going to happen.
Here’s a piece of breaking news – according to the Telegraph and other British outlets, just hours after the Sussexes’ office confirmed their UK trip, Harry was informed that he and his family will not receive police protection. Per the Telegraph, “Details of the trip were announced on Friday evening. Shortly afterwards, The Telegraph understands, the Duke was informed that his application for a security package for the visit had been denied.” Not only that, but apparently RAVEC has still not completed a risk assessment for Harry and his family, despite Harry formally requesting an assessment last year. Harry was informed that no assessment has been made and everything has been “paused.” What a mess. Now sources say that Harry might not bring Meghan and the kids after all. If this is true, Harry’s probably going to hop in front of a TV camera pretty soon, because this is very obviously a HUGE establishment stitch-up.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Meghan’s Instagram.
