Prince Harry will travel to London next week without Meghan, Prince Archie or Princess Lilibet, after concluding it would not be safe to bring his family to the UK — a decision driven entirely by his ongoing battle over police protection.
The Duke of Sussex had reportedly been planning to bring his whole family back to Britain for the first time in four years, a reunion that would have marked a significant moment for both the Sussexes and the wider Royal Family. Those plans have now been abandoned. According to The Telegraph, which first reported the development, Harry made the call after learning last Friday that a key security review had still not taken place.
The Security Row That Changed Everything
At the heart of the decision is Harry's long-running dispute over state-funded police protection in the UK. The Duke had been awaiting a review by the Risk Management Board — part of the process overseen by Ravec, the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures — which determines his security requirements when on British soil.
Having been denied that protection, and with the review yet to be carried out, Harry is said to have concluded that the risk to his family was simply too great.
Harry had decided that it would 'not be safe' to bring his wife and his children to London, according to The Telegraph.
The Sussex family have not set foot in the UK together since 2022, when they returned for the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. That was also the last time Archie and Lilibet — now six and four respectively — were seen publicly on British soil, meaning the King has yet to spend any meaningful time with his American grandchildren.
A Father's Visit — and a King's Invitation
Harry is expected to fly to London alone on Monday. Whether he has accepted King Charles's reported invitation to stay in a royal residence remains unknown, though sources suggest the two men have been liaising directly, with any reunion plans being handled privately between them. Given that Meghan and the children will not now be travelling to London, the prospect of Charles finally meeting Archie and Lilibet on home turf has been cast into serious doubt.
The trip is not solely a London affair. Harry is also due to visit Birmingham, where next year's Invictus Games will be held — the veterans' sporting event he founded and remains deeply committed to. Meghan had been scheduled to join him at an engagement there, and reports suggest that appearance could still go ahead, meaning the Duchess has not been ruled out of the UK visit entirely. Whether Archie and Lilibet might also travel to Birmingham independently of the London leg remains unclear.
What Comes Next for the Sussexes in Britain
For royal watchers, the late reversal will feel painfully familiar. Harry's relationship with the UK establishment has been defined for years by the security impasse — a dispute that has wound its way through the courts and generated considerable bitterness on both sides. He has consistently argued that without guaranteed police protection, he cannot guarantee his family's safety, and this week's decision appears to be the starkest expression yet of that position.
The family relocated to California in early 2020, stepping back from their senior royal duties and eventually settling in Montecito. In the years since, visits to the UK have been fleeting and, for Meghan in particular, increasingly rare. The prospect of a full Sussex homecoming — one that might also have eased tensions with the Palace — now looks further away than ever.
