Prince Harry has long spoken about wanting his children to know the country where he grew up.
But now — as his long-awaited return to Britain with wife Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, is finally set to happen — a new report reveals it’s fueling fresh tensions inside the royal family.
According to Vanity Fair, sources close to Prince William say King Charles III has been “bending over backwards” to help facilitate the Sussexes’ upcoming visit — and it’s not sitting well with the monarch’s heir.
King Charles clears the way
Vanity Fair royal correspondent Katie Nicholl confirmed that Charles has been working behind the scenes to help make the Sussexes’ visit possible.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not returned to Britain together since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022, when they were seen alongside King Charles III and Queen Camilla. By: WPA-Pool/MEGA
The magazine reports that the monarch has offered royal accommodations to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their stay and is willing to help fund security arrangements while the family is in Britain, with safety long being an issue of concern for Harry.
The July trip is expected to coincide with events marking the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham, England.
The visit is significant, as it will mark Meghan’s return to Britain for the first time in nearly four years — she was last there with Harry in September 2022 for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral — while Archie and Lili have not been back since the late queen’s June 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations. That was reportedly the last time Charles saw his grandkids in person.
No brotherly reunion
Sources who spoke to ‘Vanity Fair’ claim Prince William remains opposed to any reconciliation with brother Prince Harry. By: Mirrorpix / MEGA
While Charles appears to be embracing the opportunity, sources close to William say the Prince of Wales sees the situation very differently.
According to Vanity Fair, there are no plans for a meeting between the princes. “William won’t be seeing his brother. I suspect he will make sure he’s miles away when Harry visits to avoid any awkward encounters,” one source said.
The source also alleged that Harry has attempted to reach out to William without success.
“Harry has tried to make contact repeatedly, but William won’t take his calls. He is not minded to a reconciliation at all, and the fact that his father is bending over backwards to make Harry’s visit happen has become the source of deep irritation for William,” the source said.
Prince William remains unconvinced
Since stepping down as working royals and moving to California in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have accused palace aides of briefing against them and feeding negative stories to the media to protect Prince William and Kate Middleton. By: MEGA
According to Vanity Fair, William believes Harry crossed a line during his and Meghan’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey as well as in Spare, the Duke of Sussex’s bestselling 2023 memoir, which included deeply personal and often unflattering details about Harry’s relationship with members of the royal family including William and his wife, Kate Middleton.
“William … cannot forgive his brother for what Harry has put his family through,” a source told the magazine.
Although palace aides denied there was any fallout between Charles and William over the matter, Nicholl wrote, sources said William has made his feelings regarding reconciliation clear to his father: He isn’t interested.
As Prince Harry prepares to return to Britain with Meghan Markle and their children, sources told ‘Vanity Fair’ his relationship with King Charles III is improving while ties with Prince William remain strained. By: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
“William is known to hold a grudge, whereas Charles just wants peace,” a family friend told the magazine. “They come to the Harry situation from different perspectives. Charles is of the view that one must forgive and move on. William won’t do that. Not yet and maybe never.”
Prince Harry’s family focus
Nicholl further reported that Harry and Meghan want Archie and Lili to reconnect with both sides of Harry’s family — the royals as well as his late mother Princess Diana’s relatives.
“Harry wants to bring the kids to see his family — not just the Windsors, but the Spencers, too,” an insider told Vanity Fair. “He wants to spend time with the wider family.”
It’s been a long time coming. “This has been on the cards for some time,” the insider said. “Next year would have been the obvious time, when the Invictus Games take place in Birmingham, but for whatever reason, it is happening this summer.”
“Harry is, and has for some time been, very keen to have the kids come over to the U.K. There’s been a feeling of such sadness that he’s not been able to bring them to the U.K.,” the source added.
A major change
The planned visit marks a notable shift following Harry’s public comments about feeling unable to return to Britain with his family following his failed legal battle over security arrangements.
After losing his appeal over taxpayer-funded police protection in 2025, Harry told the BBC that he did not feel it was safe to bring Meghan and their children to his homeland under existing circumstances.
“I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point,” he said in May 2025.