Meghan Markle hasn’t visited England in almost four years, but the Duchess of Sussex may be planning to return to her homeland of her husband, Prince Harry, this summer. Harry is traveling to Birmingham on July 10 to launch the countdown to the Birmingham 2027 Invictus Games. For the last few years, the Sussexes have made a habit of kicking off the festivities together a year before each edition of this sporting competition for war veterans and wounded soldiers created by Prince Harry in 2014.
But Meghan Markle’s return to England, which would come nearly four years after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, depends on the conclusion of Harry’s long-running battle over his security. When Harry and his wife stepped down from their position as working royals, they also lost their publicly funded police protection. Harry has challenged the decision in court, and has hired his own private security for his trips back home. After initially losing his case against the government, the Duke of Sussex wrote to the Home Office asking for a full risk assessment to be carried out.
Kate Middleton and Prince William join Meghan and Harry for a walkabout in Windsor days after the death of Queen Elizabeth.
Mark Kerrison/Getty Images
The Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC), the final decision-maker, is expected to issue its ruling soon. “We hope common sense prevails. Whether you like Harry or not, he’s the son of the King, brother to the heir and will one day be brother to the King,” a friend of the prince told the Sunday Times. “Those are things he can’t change and the risk doesn’t just stop.”
For the time being, Prince Harry has declined to bring his wife and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, to the UK until the security arrangement is changed. “The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the US. That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil,” he told a court in December 2023. “I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.”.
The security battle is not the only issue of Harry’s being considered by the British court system. On January 19, Harry’s case against a British tabloid will go to court. The duke has joined a handful of other celebrities, including Elton John, to accuse the Daily Mail’s publisher, Associated Newspapers, of illegal practices, including phone hacking. (The publisher has denied the claims of illegal activities.) Harry is due to attend the court proceedings, but this trip will not include a meeting with his father, King Charles III, as the sovereign will be in Scotland at the time. After 19 month apart—and several weeks of tabloid speculation—the father and son last met in person for tea at Clarence House last September.
Originally published in Vanity Fair France.
