Prince Harry's plan to bring Meghan and their two children to the UK next month has been thrown into doubt after the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) rejected his request for extra police protection. The Duke of Sussex, 41, is still expected to travel to Britain for a week-long trip beginning July 7, but his wife and children — Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5 — may now stay in California.
A source close to the Sussexes said: "Harry is reassessing things. Ultimately, he is going to do everything he can to find a way to bring them over safely." The rejection comes just days after sources confirmed Harry would bring the entire family, marking their first transatlantic family trip in four years.
“Prince Harry's request for extra UK security rejected by RAVEC, casting doubt on Meghan and children's visit.”
The trip was to include a visit to the King, who has offered Harry and his family a royal residence — believed to be Buckingham Palace — to stay in. Harry also planned to take his children to Althorp, the ancestral home of his mother, Princess Diana, to visit her grave for the first time. Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, aged 36, and is buried on an island in the ornamental lake at Althorp Park.
The Duke's security concerns are longstanding. He lost a High Court bid last year to secure police protection when visiting Britain, telling the BBC: "I can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point." RAVEC's decision not to provide extra security means no meeting of the Risk Management Board has taken place, according to The Sun.
Despite the setback, Harry is expected to use the five-day visit to begin the countdown to next year's Invictus Games in Birmingham. He is also tipped to introduce his children to the wider Spencer family — specifically his maternal aunts, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, and his uncle Charles Spencer. Daily Mail senior editor-at-large Richard Kay told Palace Confidential: "My guess is he's referring to the Spencer family ... Harry's particularly close to his aunts, Jane and Sarah."
Meghan is due to take part in her first UK engagement in six years with a hospital visit, but whether the children will join their parents at any public events remains unclear. The King's offer of a royal residence still stands, but without extra security, the family's reunion on British soil hangs in the balance.