Harry’s UK family trip in doubt after police protection denied for Meghan and children
Prince Harry is reconsidering a planned July visit to Britain with Meghan and their children after his application for taxpayer-funded police protection was denied, placing the reunion with King Charles in jeopardy.
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, had been preparing to bring their children Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, to the United Kingdom in early July for a five-day programme of events linked to the Invictus Games and Harry’s charity patronages. The trip was announced on Friday evening, 26 June, and was set to include public engagements at the Royal Hospital Chelsea and the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The family also received an invitation from King Charles III to stay on a royal property, an offer the couple had initially accepted.
Security request denied
Shortly after the travel details became public, the Duke’s team was informed that the formal request for a state-funded security package had been refused by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec). A source close to the couple accused the Home Office and the committee of creating conditions that make movement in Britain severely difficult.
Wilfully creating conditions that are making it nearly impossible for them to move around Britain.
The denial means the family would have no taxpayer-funded police protection outside royal residences. While the Sussexes travel with their own private security team from California, Harry has repeatedly argued that this is insufficient for his wife and children on British soil.
Family safety concerns
The security decision has triggered a reassessment of the whole trip. The Duke himself is described as “generally pretty robust” about handling risks, but sources say he worries about the effect on Archie and Lilibet if anything went wrong. Harry lost a court case in 2025 over automatic police protection during UK stays and later told the BBC he could not imagine bringing his family back under the current arrangements.
I cannot imagine a world in which I bring my wife and my children back to the UK at this point — and what they miss out on is, well, everything.
A missed reunion with the King?
The trip had been expected to ease the rift inside the royal family. King Charles last saw his younger grandchildren during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. Father and son last met in September 2025 at Clarence House. The July visit, with Meghan and the children, was seen as a significant step toward reconciliation. Now, whether Harry will travel alone, postpone, or bring the whole family without police protection will be decided in the coming days. If he arrives solo, it could be viewed as a setback in the already strained relationship with the King.
- Details of the five-day UK trip with Meghan, Archie and Lilibet announced Friday evening.
- Harry’s team told shortly afterwards that the request for taxpayer-funded police protection had been denied.
- Reports emerge that the Duke is reconsidering the trip; sources say Harry is "devastated" by the decision.
- Expected resolution: Harry will decide whether to travel alone, with family, or not at all.
What comes next
The visit, intended to mark the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham, remains scheduled but is under review. Harry’s team continues to explore a way to make the journey possible. No final cancellation has been announced, and the royal invitation to stay on a royal estate still stands, though its acceptance now appears conditional on the security question being resolved.
