Prince Harry’s children won’t be returning to London after all. Meghan Markle, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, will not accompany the Duke of Sussex when he arrives in the U.K. next week, on July 4. However, no decision has yet been made on whether the family will join Harry for other parts of his visit outside the capital.
The update comes after Harry and Meghan had hoped to bring Archie and Lilibet back to Britain for the first time since 2022. Harry was determined to give his children the chance to experience the country where he grew up and potentially spend time with King Charles. Their absence from the London leg now raises questions about whether a family reunion will happen during the visit.
The family’s travel plans have been complicated by ongoing security concerns. In a statement shared on June 29, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said, “The issue is whether appropriate and proportionate protective security is being provided throughout the entirety of the visit”. While the King offered accommodations on a royal estate, the security arrangements would not extend beyond the property.
Harry has long maintained that he does not feel it is safe to bring Meghan and their children to the U.K. after losing their taxpayer-funded police protection in 2020, when they stepped back from their royal roles and relocated to California . After losing his legal appeal against a government decision that stripped him of automatic police protection, Harry told the BBC in May 2025 that he couldn’t “see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point”.
Harry is still expected to travel to Britain as planned for a series of charity engagements . These include events marking the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham, as well as appearances supporting WellChild and Scotty’s Little Soldiers. The Duke is scheduled to carry out engagements from Tuesday, July 7, to Saturday, July 11.
The last time Harry and Meghan visited the U.K. with their children was in June 2022 for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations . During that trip, they celebrated Lilibet’s first birthday at Frogmore Cottage . Archie was born in the U.K. in May 2019, but the children have remained largely out of the public eye since the family relocated to California.
A review of Harry’s security arrangements by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) had yet to conclude as of late June . Representatives for the Duke say RAVEC’s own terms of reference call for a Risk Management Board review at least once a year, but Harry’s last review was conducted nearly seven years ago.
While the children won’t join Harry in London, the family’s plans for the remainder of his U.K. trip remain undecided. The possibility remains that Meghan and the children could meet Harry elsewhere in Britain, though no confirmation has been given.
