The Duke of Sussex is still planning to bring his wife and children to the UK next week — but only if security arrangements can be put in place. Despite a long-running dispute over police protection, Prince Harry’s team is working on the basis that Meghan, Archie and Lilibet will accompany him for a five-day visit to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham.
The uncertainty has left King Charles, who is undergoing regular treatment for cancer, waiting for a chance to see his youngest grandchildren for the first time in four years. Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, last met their grandfather during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.
“Prince Harry presses UK government for security assessment before bringing Meghan and children for first visit in four years.”
“The duke continues to explore every available option to enable the visit to proceed safely and to give his children the opportunity to enjoy the UK,” his spokesman said on Monday.
Crucially, a review by the Risk Management Board (RMB) — part of the process by which the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) assesses security needs — has yet to occur. The duke learned of this delay on Friday. His team argues that he has not been offered security proportionate to the threat, and questions whether the potential risk has been adequately assessed.
“The independent Risk Management Board that Ravec itself decided was necessary last November has still not taken place,” the spokesman added. “It is therefore difficult to understand how the proportionality of the current arrangements can credibly be maintained without that independent assessment.”
The King has offered the Sussexes accommodation on a royal estate, which comes with security already in place. But the duke’s team points to the risks of external events: the trip includes public and private engagements across the country, including a visit to the Royal Hospital Chelsea and an Invictus event at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. Meghan is expected to join her husband at those events, while the children will not attend any public engagements.
Prince Harry has previously said he “can’t see a world” in which he would bring his wife and children back to the UK without improved security. In 2022, the family was last together in the UK for the funeral of the late Queen. Since then, Harry has travelled alone — meeting his father last September in a step towards reconciliation.
Legal challenges over his police protection have failed, and the prince has been told to follow standard procedures: inform the Home Office of plans in advance and a threat assessment will follow. Yet his team insists the process is incomplete. “Safe accommodation is only one element of an effective protective security plan,” the spokesman said. “Risk follows the person, not the place.”