Prince Harry (41) is apparently considering making his planned trip to Great Britain in July without Duchess Meghan (44) and their two children Archie (7) and Lilibet (5) after all. The trigger is a decision by the British government, which - once again - denied the family taxpayer-funded police protection, as reported by the BBC.
According to information from the broadcaster, Harry's team learned on Friday, shortly after the details of the visit were made public, that there would be no taxpayer-funded protection for the family. Previously, he had made a formal request for it once again. According to sources, Harry is devastated by the refusal, but still wants to find a way to make the trip possible.
The occasion is the launch of the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games he founded, which will take place in Birmingham next year. The family was supposed to stay in the country for about five days, with Meghan planning to accompany her husband at several public appointments in London and the Midlands.
The old dispute over personal protection
Police protection would have been guaranteed during a stay at a royal estate. However, outside these times, Harry would have to rely on the private security team accompanying him from California, it was decided. It was recently revealed that Harry, Meghan as well as Archie and Lilibet were to stay partly in royal, partly in private accommodations during the trip - an offer from King Charles (77) that his younger son Harry had declined during previous visits.
The conflict surrounding the Sussexes and their police protection has been simmering for a long time. Last year, Harry lost a court battle over automatic police protection during stays in Great Britain. At the time, he told the BBC that he wished for a "reconciliation" with the royal family - at the same time, he doubted whether it was safe to bring his wife and children back to his homeland. "I can't imagine a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to Great Britain at this point in time - and what they're missing out on in the process is, well, simply everything", he said at the time.
The limbo is particularly significant with regard to King Charles: The monarch last met his youngest grandchildren in person in 2022 at the celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee. Father and son last saw each other in September at a meeting at Clarence House in London - it was their first personal encounter since February 2024.
