Prince Harry will arrive in London next week without his wife and children, after the government refused to grant taxpayer-funded police protection for the family. The decision upends hopes of a reunion with King Charles, who has not seen his grandchildren Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, in person for four years.
Harry had planned to bring Meghan, Archie and Lilibet to the capital for a five-day trip that includes events to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham. But after the Home Office rejected his request for security beyond royal residences, the Duchess and children will not join him in London. Sources close to the duke said he had been left “in an impossible situation” after his last-ditch appeal for a security detail was refused.
“Prince Harry will travel to London without Meghan and children after security request denied, leaving reunion with King Charles in doubt.”
The decision triggered a week of frantic negotiations. Harry had accepted an offer from the King to stay in a royal residence, but was then said to have been kept “in the dark” over his own last-minute change of plans. Palace insiders expressed deep frustration that the duke had not replied to Buckingham Palace regarding the offer, and had yet to confirm his itinerary.
“He is lost in his own anxiety about his family and behaving like an entitled prince who either gets his way, or it’s no way,” said Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine. “He is behaving more like a spoilt celebrity than the second son of the King.”
The dispute centres on the level of protective security that should be provided by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), which decides on provision for senior royals and high-profile individuals. Harry lost a legal battle with the government last year over his security downgrade after he stepped back from royal duties. Since then, his protection has been assessed on a case-by-case basis. For this trip, the independent Risk Management Board that Ravec said would be set up last November has still not met.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on protective security arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”
It remains possible that Meghan, Archie and Lilibet could join Harry later in the week when the trip moves to Birmingham. If they do, they are scheduled to attend events at the National Exhibition Centre alongside him. But with no decision yet made on security for the later part of the visit, and the King’s public engagements continuing as planned, the prospect of a family reunion remains uncertain.