Prince Harry leaves Meghan, children behind for London trip

• Prince Harrywill travel to London next week without Meghan and their children because of the ongoing security dispute.
• The visit marks the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games.
• Buckingham Palace said the Sussexes have not confirmed yet whether he will stay at a royal residence.
• The security dispute dates back to a 2020 decision by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) to reduce Harry's state-funded protection.

Prince Harry is set to visit the United Kingdom next week without his wife, Meghan, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, following a breakdown in negotiations with British authorities regarding their security arrangements.

The Duke of Sussex, 41, had intended to bring his family for the five-day trip but opted against it due to concerns over the lack of taxpayer-funded police protection.

While the family will skip the London leg of the trip, a final decision has not yet been reached regarding whether the Duchess and children will join the duke for engagements scheduled outside the British capital.

Invictus Games countdown, accommodation confusion

The primary objective of next week's visit is to mark the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded military personnel that Harry founded, which will be hosted in Birmingham.

The duke is also scheduled to attend various charitable events across the Midlands.

The logistics of the trip have been complicated by conflicting statements regarding where the family will reside.

While initial indications suggested they would split time between private lodging and a royal residence, Buckingham Palace clarified that the royal household has received no confirmation that the Sussexes accepted an invitation from King Charles.

Security would automatically be guaranteed by state police if the family stayed on a royal estate.

Harry’s legal representatives emphasized that the issue is entirely centered on obtaining continuous, proportionate protection rather than the specific lodging location.

"Safe accommodation is only one element of an effective protective security plan because risk follows the person, not the place," a spokesperson for Prince Harry stated, noting that an independent assessment by RAVEC’s Risk Management Board -mandated last November- has still not taken place.

In response, a UK government spokesperson defended the state's protective security apparatus, describing it as "rigorous and proportionate," while declining to provide specific details due to long-standing safety protocols.

Prolonged family estrangement

The security standoff is the latest chapter in a multi-year conflict that began when Harry and Meghan stepped back from active royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California, citing intense media scrutiny, institutional friction, and a desire for financial independence.

The move led to a subsequent downgrading of their security status by RAVEC, a decision Harry unsuccessfully challenged in the UK Court of Appeal last year.

The solo trip delays a highly anticipated public reunion between King Charles and his grandchildren, whom he has not seen in person since the late Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

While the King recently conducted a state visit to the United States -traveling to Washington D.C., New York, and Virginia- his itinerary did not allow for a West Coast meeting with his son.

The pair last met face-to-face in September 2025 for tea at Clarence House while the monarch was undergoing cancer treatment, fueling speculation of a partial reconciliation, though Harry remains reportedly estranged from his older brother, Prince William.