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The Duke of Sussex fears his children will not meet King Charles in the coming days after their UK visit was \u201cpulled out from under their feet at the 11th hour\u201d.<\/p>\n
Prince Harry and Meghan were planning their first trip to Britain as a family in four years<\/a> for events related to the Invictus Games, due to be held in Birmingham in July.<\/p>\n The duke was said to have been excited for Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, to be reunited with King Charles during the visit early next month.<\/p>\n However, the family trip now appears uncertain after the government declined his request for police protection outside royal residences.<\/p>\n A source close to Harry said on Sunday the prince was \u201cdistraught\u201d at the development and that he would not subject his children to being \u201cchased by paparazzi wherever they go from the moment they step off the plane\u201d.<\/p>\n They said Harry was exploring other options to make the trip happen but feared this would not be possible without proper security arrangements.<\/p>\n The source told the Guardian: \u201cTheir plans to see family, friends and visit various charitable causes close to the duke\u2019s heart have been pulled out from under their feet at the 11th hour. He\u2019s looking at every option to try and get the family here safely and keep them safe when they\u2019re on the ground. If he can find a way to do that he will.<\/p>\n \u201cThe hope is they can meet their grandfather, but there is no way that can happen if they are chased by paparazzi wherever they go from the moment they step off the plane. He won\u2019t put his children through that.\u201d<\/p>\n The visit would have been the first time Charles had seen his youngest grandchildren in person since 2022, during the late Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s platinum jubilee celebrations.<\/p>\n Last year Harry lost a legal battle against the Home Office concerning automatic police protection while in the UK<\/a>, having previously claimed it was not safe to bring his family without it.<\/p>\n He has since been granted a full risk assessment and had been awaiting a final decision from the royal and VIP executive committee (Ravec), the Home Office committee responsible for authorising such protection.<\/p>\n Ravec decisions are taken by an independent chair and its membership includes the royal household, Home Office, Cabinet Office and Metropolitan Police<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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