When the Duke of Sussex returns to the UK next month with his wife and children for the first time in four years, they will stay in royal residence offered by the King.
The yet-to-be revealed home will provide the necessary security provision Prince Harry has previously said he needed to bring Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to his former homeland to ensure their safety.
Prince Harry and Meghan will return to the UK next month with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet for the first time in four years. Instagram/@Meghan
But there are conflicting reports over whether Prince Harry has actually accepted the offer of accommodation, and police protection, from his father. If he has, it opens up questions about which property the Sussexes will temporarily call home.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are travelling to the UK in July for events connected with the Invictus Games.
It is not known which estate the king has offered for Harry’s visit, although it is likely to be one of the private residences used by the royals.
Balmoral Castle, in Scotland, and Sandringham in Norfolk are the two private estates owned by the British monarch. Both have a number of smaller properties available. In February, the former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor moved from the 32-bedroom Royal Lodge in Windsor to the much smaller Marsh Farm at Sandringham.
Royal Lodge is part of the Crown Estate, one of many homes used by the royal family but not owned by the monarch.
Prince Harry and Meghan previously lived at Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate, which remains vacant. It was gifted to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex by the late Queen Elizabeth II when they married in 2018.
They were told to hand back the keys of the home soon after the duke’s memoir Spare was published in early 2023 after they had significantly renovated the property.
By accepting the king’s offer, the move will put the Sussexes within the security cordon of a royal residence.
King Charles is likely to see his two US-based grandchildren next month but the meeting is expected to be a private one, held behind closed doors. Instagram/meghan
In 2024, Prince Harry rejected an offer of accommodation at Buckingham Palace, turning it down because he did not have additional police protection.
He said the entrances and exits to the palace were so exposed he believed he would be a “sitting duck”. Instead, he has stayed at hotels or at friends’ homes during his past visits.
However, those close to the monarch have rejected reports Charles has offered to pay for Prince Harry’s additional private police provision, according to The Times and the BBC.
Prince Harry has been fighting to have his taxpayer-funded security reinstated but the outcome of a government assessment has not yet been made public.
Under the current arrangement, the duke’s security detail is determined on a case-by-case basis and he needs to tell the government about his travel plans one month in advance.
Prince Harry previously said that without adequate, state-backed protection, his children would not be safe and that he could not risk putting them “in danger”.
Last year, Harry accused his father of failing to support his request to have taxpayer-funded security.
Prince Harry’s return to the UK could cause tension between King Charles and Prince William, who remains estranged from Prince Harry. Samir Hussein
“There is a lot of control and ability in my father’s hands,” the duke told the BBC.
“Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him. Not necessarily by intervening, but by stepping aside, allowing the experts to do what is necessary.”
According to The Times, King Charles is reluctant to be pulled into a conversation that could change the due process over Harry’s security arrangements.
King Charles is expected to be reunited with his US-based grandchildren for the first time in four years after the Sussexes were in England to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Australia in April for events connected with the Invictus Games including a sailing event on Sydney Harbour. Getty
“They haven’t confirmed which one, obviously for security reasons, but that seems to have emboldened Harry and Meghan to make the decision, finally, four years on, to bring their children to come and see grandpa.”
Meghan is expected to join her husband for the one-year to go launch event on July 17, promoting the Invictus Games ahead of the tournament in Birmingham next year.
Prince Harry will also carry out engagements connected with his remaining patronages, such as WellChild and Scotty’s Little Soldiers.
Both Harry and Meghan have spoken of their desire to include their children in the Invictus Games.
Last year, when the first-ever winter Invictus Games were held in Canada Harry said he would “love” his children to “experience the Invictus spirit first-hand one day”.
In Düsseldorf in 2023, Meghan told the crowd: “We can’t wait to one day be able to bring our kids also so they can experience just how amazing this is.”
A meeting between the king and his grandchildren has not been confirmed and if it happens, it is likely to take place behind closed doors.
Prince William and Prince Harry at Kensington Palace in 2021, before tensions between the two brothers escalated. AP
Buckingham Palace has not commented on a possible reunion, describing it as a private family matter.
Prince Harry last saw his father in September last year during a private tea at Clarence House in London which lasted less than an hour.
Tensions between the royals and the Sussexes have been strained since Harry and Meghan left their roles in 2020 for a new life of financial independence in California.
While Prince Harry and Meghan decision to visit the UK with Archie and Lilibet may end the rift between the Sussexes and the monarch, the duke’s relationship with his estranged brother Prince William isn’t likely to improve.
“I think this could create tension between the king and his oldest son,” Tominey told Today.
The Prince of Wales might not be happy about Prince Harry and his family being offered accommodation inside a royal residence after all the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have done. AP Photo/Alastair Grant
“The king, as Harry’s father, is more inclined to forgive and forget than William who is still very angry about Oprah, the Netflix series and Spare.
“As a concession it looks as if the king has said ‘bring them over, you can be enveloped into the royal security scene here if you use a royal residence’,” royal commentator Camilla Tominey told Today.
“If the king is offering a royal residence, then that’s his right to do so, he might want to see his grandchildren [but] I don’t know whether we are going to get any rapprochement between the royal brothers because we know there’s a lot of water under that bridge and no-one wants to concede and apologise so they’re in a bit of a stand-off.”