Prince Harry will travel to the UK alone this week after deciding not to bring Meghan Markle and their children, with fans giving their opinions over the Duke’s family-first decision amid security concerns
Samantha Bartlett Assistant Editor, Social News
11:02, 05 Jul 2026
Prince Harry won’t bring Meghan and their two children on his visit to the UK(Image: Asanka Ratnayake, Getty Images)
It was confirmed this weekend that Prince Harry will not be joined by his wife Meghan Markle and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, during his eagerly awaited five-day visit to the UK.
The eleventh-hour decision came after a formal request for taxpayer-funded police protection during the London leg of the trip was refused by British authorities. Although the family had originally planned to travel together – which would have marked the children’s first return to Harry’s home country in four years – the Duke scaled back his plans owing to serious safety concerns. Ever since Harry and Meghan stepped back from their roles as working royals in 2020, their automatic, publicly funded UK police protection was withdrawn. Their security is now assessed on a case-by-case basis by RAVEC (the Royal and VIP Executive Committee), which denied their request for an armed police escort for this particular London visit.
King Charles reportedly offered the Sussexes accommodation at a secure, undisclosed royal residence, widely believed to be Buckingham Palace. While the palace itself was deemed safe, Harry’s team dismissed this as a satisfactory solution, arguing that “risk follows the person, not the place”.
King Charles reportedly offered the Harry and Meghan accommodation at a secure, unnamed royal residence (believed to be Buckingham Palace)(Image: Getty)
They pointed out that the moment the family ventures beyond royal grounds to attend public engagements, they would be left without adequate protection. Prince Harry will arrive in London alone on Monday (July 6) to fulfil a number of charity commitments.
These include an engagement supporting the Invictus Games at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, which Meghan had initially been due to attend alongside him. He will also connect with his patronages, including Scotty’s Little Soldiers and WellChild.
While the family has entirely ruled out making the journey to London, their spokesperson confirmed they haven’t completely dismissed the prospect of visiting other areas of Britain. There remains a slim chance that Meghan and the children could travel directly to Birmingham under the watch of their private international security detail later in the week.
Harry has commitments scheduled there on July 9 and 10 to champion the 2027 Birmingham Invictus Games.
Sharing their views on the matter on Reddit, numerous supporters backed Prince Harry’s decision, stating he’d done the ‘right thing’.
One exclaimed: “Great news, Harry has made the right choice for his family.”
While another agreed: “Yup, I’m so relieved.”
A third chimed in: “Completely agree, this is the right choice for his family.”
While a fourth added: “I expected this and I’m very happy with the decision, I think we all knew that Prince Harry would never put his family at risk not matter how much they want to be there to support him and the Invictus Games and athletes.”
Prince Harry will fly into London alone to attend a series of charity engagements, which includes an event supporting the Invictus Games(Image: Invictus Games Foundation via Ge)
This abrupt change of plans has effectively shattered hopes of a long-overdue reunion between King Charles and his grandchildren. The King has not seen Archie (7) or Lilibet (5) in person since Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022.
Sources suggest that while King Charles maintains a reasonably cordial relationship with Harry and speaks with him on a regular basis, the monarch has held firm, making clear he will not personally interfere in decisions made by the government-mandated security committee (RAVEC).
Those close to the Duke reveal that Harry remains “devastated” by the continuing impasse. He is desperately keen for his children to embrace their British heritage and to visit the grave of their late grandmother Princess Diana at Althorp, yet refuses to put their physical safety at risk in order to do so.