EXCLUSIVE: The Duke of Sussex has announced that Meghan, Archie and Lilibet will NOT join him in London, in the latest twist to a saga that has left Palace insiders ‘frustrated’
Prince Harry has been accused of acting “like a spoilt celebrity” after changing his UK plans at the final hour.
In the space of 24 hours last weekend, Harry announced he was bringing his family to the UK for the first time in four years. Then, it quickly became clear that he was considering rowing back on the decision. Today, after a week of exhausting drama on both sides, it was finally confirmed – Harry will be travelling alone to the capital, amid security concerns.
King Charles had offered royal residence to the Sussexes in a big to help the London visit happen, but is said to have been kept ‘in the dark’ on Harry’s last-minute decision. Plans for the monarch to finally reunite with his grandchildren now seem in complete doubt, with Harry said to have been ‘in tears’ over the whole debacle.
As the Duke’s battle over taxpayer funded security continues to cause heartache on both sides, one royal expert has branded Harry’s handling over the situation as “entitled”.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, believes that Harry is “lost in his own anxiety”. In a scathing assessment, the expert tells the Mirror: “Harry is lost in his own anxiety about his family and behaving like an entitled prince who either gets his way, or it’s no way. He is behaving more like a spoilt celebrity than the second son of the King.”
While Meghan and the couple’s two children will not be joining Harry on the trip to London, it’s possible that they still could join for part of the visit. Reports suggest that they may follow him to Birmingham for key events later in the week, ahead of next year’s Invictus Games in the city. It remains unclear whether Charles could still see his grandkids away from the capital, should they land on UK soil.
Royal sources expressed their deep frustration earlier this week that Harry had yet to confirm his plans and had not replied to Buckingham Palace regarding the offer to help alleviate his security concerns.
The Duke had promised to explore “every available option” so he could bring his family to London. But sources close to the duke said he had been left “in an impossible situation” after the Home Office refused his last ditch appeal to fund a security detail for the trip.
The prince has planned a five-day stay for next week, with a number of public engagements. Friends have said he “is not in a good place” and he believes “dark forces” are to blame for blocking him from travelling with his family to arrange a meeting with his father.
The couple have made tens of millions of pounds since leaving their royal roles in March 2020, leading critics of the couple to suggest they should be responsible for their own security arrangements.
The duke was waiting for a review by the Risk Management Board (RMB), part of the process by which the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) rules on his security requirements, but found out last Friday that this has yet to take place.
A royal source said: “Buckingham Palace is still waiting for the Duke’s decision. It is incredibly frustrating given arrangements need to be made to facilitate any guest of the King’s accepting an invitation to visit a royal residence.”
Harry wanted to bring his family to meet his father for the first time since they were all in the UK in the summer of 2022, to attend the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
The prince had previously spoken of his wish to reconcile with the Royal Family following his move to the US with Meghan, and said last year that he couldn’t “see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK”.
He told the BBC : “I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point and the things they’re going to miss is, well, everything. You know I love my country, I always have done despite what some people in the country have done.”
The King is due to participate in a series of public engagements next week, but Buckingham Palace has not commented on private family matters.
It is understood that discussions about security elements of the trip are still ongoing regarding the latter part of the Prince’s visit – but no final decision has been made. A government spokesperson said: “It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on protective security arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”
