Behind the scenes, conversations were taking place with Buckingham Palace.
On June 17, a source close to the Duke confirmed that he would return with his family in tow. He had been assured, sources insisted, that adequate security would be in place.
Two days later, it emerged that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children had been invited to stay at a royal residence. While The Telegraph did not name the residence for security reasons, it was known to be Buckingham Palace.
However, the Duke had not formally accepted the invitation, which raised eyebrows at the palace.
A royal source felt obliged to “correct some misunderstandings”, adding that while an offer of accommodation had been extended to the Duke and his family, no response had been received and no security provision had been offered.
Security, they insisted, was a matter for the Home Office.
The apparent offer of “safe passage” in and out of the palace gates – which had been a key factor in the Sussexes’ decision-making – was later said to have come from a junior aide and was perhaps taken out of context.
Nevertheless, with the clock ticking, Team Sussex felt under pressure to release their schedule of engagements.
On June 26, the Sussexes announced that the Duchess would join her husband in the UK between July 7 and 11 and would attend two public engagements at his side.
The full itinerary included appearances in London and Birmingham to promote the Invictus Games, WellChild, a charity for seriously ill children, and Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity festival for bereaved children.
With the Duchess’s involvement confirmed, speculation mounted about whether the Sussexes’ children would finally be reunited with their grandfather.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.telegraph.co.uk ’
