Prince Harry may be forced to cancel his planned visit to the UK with his wife Meghan and their two children next month after being denied taxpayer-funded security, according to reports. The Duke of Sussex had intended to bring Archie and Lilibet to see the grave of his mother, Princess Diana, for the first time during a family trip in July – their first visit to the UK in four years.
Security Decision Derails Plans
BBC News reported that the plans are being reconsidered after Harry was told on Friday that no taxpayer-funded security would be provided for his family. The duke is believed to have received the decision just two days after details of the visit were announced. The trip from their home in California was set to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games hosted in Birmingham in July 2027.
Harry was scheduled to attend celebrations launching the build-up to the event and visit two charities he supports – WellChild and Scotty's Little Soldiers. According to The Sun, he also planned to take his children to visit their grandmother's grave at the Althorp Estate in Northamptonshire, where Diana was buried on an island in the Round Oval Lake after her death in a Paris car crash in August 1997 at age 36.
First Visit to Diana's Grave
The visit would have been the first time Archie and Lilibet saw the grave, and it was to take place in the days after what would have been Diana's 65th birthday. The BBC reported that the duke was 'distraught' at the decision not to provide security but would 'still like to find a way to make the trip work'.
Security in the UK has been a major issue for Harry since he stepped down as a working royal in 2020. His level of protection was downgraded, and last year he lost a legal battle to overturn that change. He has previously argued that safety concerns were a major factor preventing him from bringing his wife and children to the UK.
Assurances and Family Ties
Reports claim the Sussexes were given assurances that had mitigated Harry's concerns, but the recent decision has thrown the plans into doubt. Archie and Lilibet have not seen their grandfather, King Charles, in person for four years, since the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. Harry last saw his father in September last year when they had tea together at Clarence House in London – their first face-to-face meeting since February 2024.
The BBC said a final decision on the family's UK trip will be made in the coming days.
