Prince Harry hugged Alison Hammond and jumped up and down after playing laser tag at the Invictus Games demonstration in Birmingham — but the Duke of Sussex was without his wife Meghan and their two children, who arrived in the UK this week but stayed away over security concerns.
Harry attended the one-year-to-go celebration at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), the primary venue for the 2027 Games, watching and taking part in exhibition events alongside previous competitors. He also tried pickleball with Hammond, a This Morning and Great British Bake Off host.
“Prince Harry attended Invictus Games solo as Meghan and children arrived in UK but stayed away due to security concerns.”
Meghan and the children — Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five — are believed to be staying at the Spencer family home, Althorp, in Northamptonshire. The Duchess was unable to attend because the family has been refused police protection. Harry reportedly had hoped to take his children to his mother Princess Diana’s grave at Althorp for the first time.
The King has not seen Archie and Lilibet since the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 — the only time Charles met Lilibet. Meghan has not visited the UK since the Queen’s funeral in September 2022. The Mirror exclusively reported that the King, 77, has instructed senior aides to engage in talks with the Sussexes to arrange time in his diary, likely on Friday or Saturday in London.
However, a potential reunion has been complicated. The Sun reports that Charles offered accommodation at Buckingham Palace but the offer was rescinded after Harry failed to accept in time; the Duke reportedly declared the accommodation unsuitable.
Harry’s appearance came a day after his first public outing following a High Court defeat. He attended meetings for the Invictus Games Foundation at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, half a mile from the King, who was visiting the British Transport Police. Harry has seen his father only twice in the last two and a half years.
Whether the King will meet his grandchildren during their visit remains unclear, as talks continue over security and scheduling.