After insisting that there’s no way he’d take his family to the UK because it’s too dangerous thanks to a lack of police protection, Prince Harry has done a U-turn and will be accompanied by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet when he visits in July.
Last year, after failing in court battles to get the Home Office to automatically provide round-the-clock taxpayer-funded security for his family when they are in his homeland, Harry said, “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”
But now he’s planning for Meghan, 44, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, to join him at an Invictus Games event in the UK. While that’s good news for the King, who hasn’t seen his grandchildren for four years, sources close to both the Sussexes and the royals say there’s more to this move than setting up a happy family reunion.
More than a family visit
The trip comes as the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is soon to release the results of a risk assessment and a review into providing security that Harry, 41, asked her to carry out after he lost his court cases. Insiders say the timing of the Sussex family’s visit is no coincidence.
“The feeling in royal circles is that this is manipulative. This feels like emotional blackmail.”
A US source agrees, describing the trip as “a new low” while the tense matter of security is on the table.
“I don’t think this will be a reunion. It’s a challenge.”
Harry and Meghan were stripped of their right to have 24-hour police bodyguards after they walked away from their royal roles in 2020. While Harry fought unsuccessfully in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal to get it reinstated – and even offered to pay for police protection himself – he’s been adamant that it wasn’t safe for his wife and children to travel to the UK.
The last time the children were there was June 2022, when they attended Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Then they were protected by the security provided to all royals at public events. That was the only time the King, 77, had met Lilibet, and the first time he’d seen Archie in two and a half years.
The King’s dilemma
His Majesty, who is a doting grandad to Prince William’s children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, would dearly love to spend time with Archie and Lilibet, says
an insider.
“He hasn’t been a part of their lives and has missed so much. He would relish the opportunity to see them.”
But he has to be careful not to do anything that is seen as interfering in his son’s row with the government.
“He is wary as he cannot be seen to pre-empt or countermand any Home Office decision.”
The Metropolitan Police in London have said that any visit by Harry and his family can be treated on a case-by-case basis when it comes to security, and that if he gives adequate notice, he may qualify for protection.
A fight for relevancy?
The US insider says there are feelings in some quarters that Harry and Meghan are using their children, and not just when it comes to increasing their chances of getting automatic taxpayer-funded security. They’ve pointed out how frequently the youngsters pop up on Meghan’s social media, albeit with their faces not visible.
“We are seeing more and more content of the kids as Harry and Meghan become less and less relevant.”
They say it will be interesting to see whether the children take part in the launch of the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games, which are being held in Birmingham in July next year. If they are seen in public that would be a shock, given Harry and Meghan’s determination to protect their privacy, and also Harry’s unease at himself having been used as “a child in the service of the monarchy”.
Meanwhile, it is highly unlikely that Archie and Lilibet will spend time with their cousins.
“Relations between Harry and William are at rock bottom, so there won’t be a reunion with that side of the family.”
Royal author Robert Jobson says this reunion is not likely to “stitch together” the rift that exists between the King and Harry, or affect the decision about security.
“The taxpayer cannot fund protection for a prince who walked away from the job. Most of the country would not stand for it. Nor does this thaw the deeper freeze. An afternoon with Grandpa is not peace with the family.
“I see nothing healing between William, Queen Camilla and the Sussexes. Yet the King will get to hug his grandchildren again. That counts for a great deal.”
