Prince Harry will stay at Buckingham Palace for part of his visit to London this week, his spokesperson has confirmed, but his wife and children will not join him after a request for police protection was denied. The Duke of Sussex accepted the invitation from the royal family and is expected to arrive in the capital on Monday, according to sources. His trip is centred on preparations for the Invictus Games, which will be held in Birmingham next year, and charity engagements.
The decision not to bring Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet came after days of uncertainty over security. The Duchess of Sussex and the couple’s two children, aged seven and five, have not been to the UK since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022 and had hoped to mark the one-year countdown to the Games with public appearances. But a source told the Metro: “The hope is they can meet their grandfather. But there is no way that can happen if they are chased by paparazzi wherever they go from the moment they step off the plane.”
“Prince Harry will stay at Buckingham Palace during his UK visit, but Meghan and children remain in the US due to security row.”
The security row dates back to Harry’s decision to step back as a senior royal in 2020 and move to the US. He has contested a ruling that his security would be assessed case-by-case, telling the BBC in 2025 that he could not “see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point”.
Harry is understood to be liaising directly with King Charles about a possible meeting. The father and son last saw each other in September 2025, when they had tea at Clarence House. But whether the King will see his grandchildren during this visit remains unclear under the revised schedule. Archie and Lilibet have not seen their grandfather in four years, according to reports.
Harry’s stay at Buckingham Palace – the first time he has formally accepted such an invitation during a solo trip – signals a tentative thaw in relations, but the unresolved security standoff continues to keep the family apart.