The Duchess of Sussex may need to make some uncomfortable decisions if the Duke’s security is reinstated.Mitya Underwood and Eilidh Farquhar Trainee Trends, Showbiz and Lifestyle Writer
15:16, 04 Jan 2026
Meghan Markle may need to do a ‘u-turn’ as a review surrounding threats to her family is currently underway.(Image: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
A new government review may make Meghan Markle’s plans of staying in America exceedingly difficult as she will have “no excuse” not to return to the UK with her family, according to a royal expert. Last year, Prince Harry said it was “impossible” for him to safely take his children and Meghan back home following his court defeat.
While the rifts between members of the Royal Family continue, a reunion could now possibly be in the cards as a review into the threat level surrounding the Sussexes is currently underway. If this review leans in Harry’s favour, some people believe the couple could be travelling across the pond as early as this year.
However, a royal expert believes that this win for the Duke of Sussex could lead to his wife having to make some uncomfortable decisions. The last time the couple were in the UK together was back in 2022 for the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II, reports the Mirror.
Royal author Duncan Larcombe said: “The security issue has essentially been used as an excuse for Meghan not to come to the UK in the last few years. But many people think the real reason is to do with the public reaction that she’d receive over here.”
He added: “If the protection is put back in place for Harry and Meghan when they’re on UK soil, then there’s really no excuse for her to stay away, so she has to be considering doing a U-turn – she has no choice but to think about it given the new review.
The last time Meghan and Harry were in the UK together was for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022.(Image: Kirsty O’Connor/Getty Images)
“But, effectively, she’ll come face to face with the British public and members of the family that she’s been at pains to criticise. She will want to support Harry how she can, and has also said that she doesn’t like to be away from her children for long, so there are going to be some difficult decisions either way.
“I don’t think it’s in Meghan’s character to eat humble pie and if she comes to the UK, humble pie is exactly what’s on the menu for her.”
While bookies have taken bets on when the Duke and Duchess are most likely to visit the UK as a family, with 2026 and 2028 being frontrunners, the upcoming Invictus Games in 2027 could be the best bet.
Set to take place that summer in Birmingham, Duncan says that the distraction of the event could make the trip less daunting for Meghan, who wouldn’t risk a “PR disaster” of allowing her children to attend with Harry without her.
Duncan went on to add: “Meghan is not stupid, she knows that staying away would do her no favours in terms of how people view her over here. It would start to raise all sorts of questions about the couple’s relationship and them wanting different things.
“I’m sure they’ll be talking to their UK advisors about how the land lies, and if you believe the polls, people may want to see Harry back in the fold but at the moment, they are the outcast couple who live in self-imposed exile and have stirred up a lot of trouble and made a lot of money off the royal family during the rift.”
In his court case last year, Harry was clear that the lack of security was the biggest barrier to the couple making even a short trip to the UK. The Prince wanted official security for his young family, which normally includes round-the-clock armed security and access to top-level intelligence.
When he lost the case, he stated that the family’s return would be “impossible”, adding: “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”
However, another pressing question is who would the couple and their two children – Archie and Lilibet – stay with and visit if they come to the UK due to ongoing tensions between the family.
Duncan asked: “If they come to the UK, who do they see? Do they see Harry’s old friends that he’s had to isolate from? Does he see his brother who won’t talk to him?
“Does he see his father who only gave him minutes of his time when they met before? It’s a really complicated, complex situation that Harry and Meghan have managed to get themselves into and there are a lot of questions over exactly what a visit to the UK would look like.”