EXCLUSIVE: The Duke of Sussex has previously said the UK is “not safe” enough to bring his family, but now Prince Harry will travel back to his home country for a week with his wife and children after being put up by the King
19:44, 23 Jun 2026Updated 23:27, 23 Jun 2026
The Duchess of Sussex will attend the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham on July 10 alongside her husband (Image: ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
Prince Harry has grown “increasingly frustrated” that a review into his claim for taxpayer funded security has taken six months – forcing him to reverse his decision to accept the King’s offer of staying at a royal residence, so he can bring his family to the UK.
The Duke of Sussex, alongside his wife Meghan and their two children, Archie, seven and Lilibet, five, is due to travel to the UK on the first weekend of July and stay for a week.
The visit will mark the first time the family have been in the UK together for four years, since Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
On Friday, July 10, Harry will be joined by Meghan on stage at the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games being held in Birmingham.
Harry, 41, has previously said the country of his birth is “not safe” to bring his family to, because he could not guarantee their safety.
But now he has changed his mind and accepted an offer to stay at a royal residence, understood to be Buckingham Palace, in order to make the family trip.
In recent years, Harry has engaged in a protracted legal battle with the British government over the decision to strip him of taxpayer-funded security when in the UK.
Prince Harry is due to travel to the UK with his wife Meghan and their two children for the first time in four years(Image: AP)
The Duke’s access to police protection was removed following his and Meghan’s decision in 2020 to quit his royal role and settle in the United States.
He first launched a case at the High Court, which he lost last year, and then raised the issue at the Court of Appeal which refused to reverse the decision.
Rather than being flatly denied police protection, Harry was informed he would be subject to a bespoke arrangement that requires him to give the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) 30 days’ notice of any planned visit to the UK alongside his schedule.
Yet, the Duke still pursued the matter, writing to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to request a review.
In December, he was granted a new risk assessment, which he was told would take “a matter of weeks”.
It has now been completed but Harry has not been informed of the outcome.
A source close to the Duke said: “He has grown increasingly frustrated with the whole process and has had to alter his standpoint.
“From initially being told a decision would be made within a matter of weeks, it is now more than six months on. He (Harry) was determined to travel back to the UK with his family around the Invictus event, so he has finally made the decision to accept the offer of staying at a royal residence which he believes will be sufficient for this trip.”
Harry has refused offers to stay at a royal residence during his previous solo trips to the UK after leaving his role in 2020.
He lost a High Court battle and a subsequent hearing at the Court of Appeal last year, before making a last ditch personal appeal to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
In a letter Harry is understood to have claimed that threats against his safety remain, despite his exit from the royal fold.
Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie will join Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on the trip
Royal sources have confirmed that Harry is expexcted to meet the King with his wife and children during their stay.
Reports in January suggested sources close to Harry considered a change in the decision to award him security when in the UK “a formality”.
But the Home Secretary has still not decided whether to reverse the decision made by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC), or tell Harry that the position stands.
Home Office sources have told The Mirror “no announcement is imminent”.
Sources close to the Sussexes have also revealed that the Duchess has taken a “considerable interest” in the Invictus Games – Harry’s crowning achievement – and was “determined” to make the visit to Birmingham.
The Olympics type sporting event involving injured service personnel from across the world has been a global success.
The Birmingham event marks a return to Harry’s home country for the first time since its inception in 2014.
It will mark the first time Meghan, 44, has travelled to the UK, outside of transiting at Heathrow, since the late Queen’s funeral in September 2022.
Harry and Meghan’s popularity ratings with the British public have plummeted in recent years, after using broadcast interviews and Harry’s explosive memoir to criticise the royal family.
Following the loss of his security case at the Court of Appeal, Harry described the defeat as a “good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up” and blamed the royal household for influencing the decision to reduce his protection.
He said the decision had an impact “every single day”, and had prevented him from bringing Meghan and their children to the UK.
A Home Office source said: “The demands of certain individuals have no bearing on the full and thorough review taking place. The Duke of Sussex is perfectly capable of making his own security arrangements for his family if he feels there is insufficient provision at this stage.”
The Duke’s spokesperson did not request for comment.