Prince Harry faces royal drama amid return home
USA TODAY’s royal reporter Jennifer Hassan shares the latest on Prince Harry’s return to London amid confusion over his Buckingham Palace stay.
LONDON – It’s been a week of sheer royal chaos. Is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, heading to Britain after all?
USA Today has confirmed that the duchess, 44, will not be attending public events in the United Kingdom this week, though it is unclear if she and husband Prince Harry will meet with King Charles or other members of the royal family privately.
British media including the Telegraph reported the duchess will indeed travel to the U.K. Meghan’s team declined to comment when approached by USA TODAY.
Meghan and the Sussex children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, were originally supposed to come to London with Harry earlier this week. But, after a fallout over security, Harry’s team announced July 4 that the duchess would no longer be joining him for the London portion of his trip. Arrangements for the rest of the trip were still under consideration, a representative for the Sussexes told USA TODAY at the time.
Harry had his security downgraded after leaving his role as a working royal in 2020 and he and his immediate family are no longer eligible for tax-payer funded security. Harry has repeatedly voiced concerns for their safety, and lost an appeal to reverse the decision in British court.
After engagements in London, Harry headed north to Birmingham and is expected to visit Warwickshire for charity events and planning for next year’s Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded and injured military personnel and veterans Harry founded in 2014.
Harry may appreciate a visit from his loved ones after landing in London alone, being denied accommodation at Buckingham Palace and then losing his privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail.
In 2020, Meghan and Harry stepped back from the royal spotlight and left London for a new life in California, Meghan’s home state. Since then, their relationship with the royal family has severely worsened.
Harry’s trip home had been laced with hope that Britain – and the world – may see signs of a possible reconciliation between the Sussexes and the wider royal family after six years of unravelling relationships. The king has not seen his grandchildren for four years and Meghan has not been in the country since September 2022, when she attended Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
Harry has only seen his brother, Prince William, a handful of times in the last four years and has not seen his father since September.
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