Prince Harry is set to travel to London alone today, according to recent reports. This means that the Duchess of Sussex and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will remain behind due to ongoing security concerns. This development has raised questions about the couple’s plans to visit King Charles, as the children have not seen their grandfather in person since 2022 during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The children were not scheduled to attend any public events during this trip. Royal reporter Russell Myers shared insights with Today, stating that this is the latest in a series of changes by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex since they first announced their UK trip. He noted that “the ball is in Harry’s court” when it comes to a potential meeting with his family and King Charles.
“Harry is due to jet into the UK in a few hours this morning (Monday night Australian time), but he won’t be coming with Meghan and the children,” Myers said.
It has been reported that Harry and Meghan were already in Europe on holiday with their children ahead of the UK trip, although this has not been officially confirmed. Myers added that it remains unclear whether Harry will meet up with Meghan and the children later in the week after his initial engagements in London.
“That’s the big question, because Harry said just a few days ago last weekend that they were all coming, that they were staying at a mixture of a royal residence and family and friends,” he continued. “About 24 hours later they received notice from the Home Office that they wouldn’t be receiving taxpayer-funded security, but that has always been the case.”
Myers speculated on why Harry might have chosen to release all his operational details of the trip. However, he emphasized that Harry will be in the UK for a couple of days. Whether Meghan and the children will join him later is still uncertain.
Myers also mentioned that the King is looking forward to seeing Harry and his grandchildren. “It would have been a great family reunion. Saying that, they’re not going to be meeting the Prince and Princess of Wales, that relationship is still very much fractured,” he added. “But all this game-playing and trying to force the government’s hand into certain decisions is rather unsavoury.”
Harry famously lost his legal bid for taxpayer-funded security during trips to the UK in May 2025. Myers reiterated that “the ball is very much in Harry’s court” regarding his children meeting King Charles during this trip, and it is a matter of wait and see.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were scheduled to visit the UK from July 7 to 11 to kick off the traditional “One Year to Go” countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games, which will take place in Birmingham. The last-minute change of plans is due to Harry’s ongoing security concerns, following the rejection of his formal request for taxpayer-funded security for his wife and children.
The BBC has reported that the Duke’s team put forward a formal request for police security for himself and his family while they are in the UK but were told on Friday that no taxpayer-funded security would be provided during their trip.
Prince Harry is scheduled to attend a series of charity engagements and events promoting the 2027 Invictus Games, beginning with a visit to Chatham House where he will meet with policymakers, experts, and members of the Invictus Community. The Duchess was due to carry out her first engagement in the capital since Megxit in March 2020 at a London hospital with Harry. This too is now in doubt.
The pair is reportedly assessing their options. Following his commitments in London, the Duke of Sussex is then scheduled to travel to Birmingham later in the week. There, he will visit a local children’s hospital for WellChild and mark the one-year countdown to Birmingham hosting the 2027 Invictus Games. Meghan is still expected to attend the Invictus event at Birmingham’s NEC at the end of the week.
It is also understood that Harry and Meghan are still planning to take their children to Althorp, in Northants, for their visit to the final resting place of his late mother, Princess Diana. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were reportedly offered accommodation at Buckingham Palace in London by King Charles for the trip.
Prince Harry has previously stated that without adequate, state-backed protection, his children would not be safe and that he could not risk putting them “in danger.” Under the current arrangement, Harry must provide 28 days’ notice of his plans to visit Britain, with taxpayer-funded security decided on a case-by-case basis.
Prince Harry’s private security detail, who travel with the family, has done its own risk assessment and identified serious concerns. A spokesperson for the duke said: “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.”
