King Charles III has extended a formal invitation to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to stay at royal residences during a planned visit to the U.K. from July 7–11, 2026, and for the first time, the couple have accepted the offer. The trip, intended to include their children seven-year-old Prince Archie and five-year-old Princess Lilibet, faces uncertainty due to an unresolved security dispute that has cast doubt on whether the entire family will ultimately make the journey. If the family does travel together, it would be the entire Sussex family’s first time setting foot in Harry’s homeland in nearly four years.
A spokesperson for Harry has said the UK’s Royal and VIP Executive Committee has denied the level of police protection requested for the family while outside royal residences, adding that “the issue has never been accommodation” but rather “whether appropriate and proportionate protective security is being provided throughout the entirety of the visit.” A UK government spokesperson has responded that the protective security system “is rigorous and proportionate,” declining to comment further on individual arrangements. Sources say Harry is distraught over the rejection, which has thrown the children’s participation into serious doubt even as the published itinerary has continued as planned.
Family Separated Since 2022 Jubilee
The last joint trip to the U.K. dates back to June 2022, when Archie and Lilibet accompanied their parents to the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Meghan last traveled to the U.K. in September 2022 for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, while Archie and Lilibet have not joined their parents on British soil since those Jubilee celebrations four years ago.
Harry and Meghan will begin the visit with Invictus Games-related events in London before Harry travels to the Midlands, where he will mark the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham — the international sporting competition he founded for wounded, injured, and sick service personnel. Archie and Lilibet are not expected to take part in any public engagements during the trip.
Royal Residences Offered for Stay
A representative for the couple has confirmed they have accepted the king’s offer and will stay across a mixture of royal residences and private accommodation; specific properties have not been disclosed. Royal insiders previously said Buckingham Palace was among the residences being considered, given its extensive security arrangements, with St James’s Palace, Windsor Castle, and Frogmore Cottage — the Sussexes’ former U.K. home — also cited as possibilities. Harry has in the past turned down the chance to base himself at Buckingham Palace during prior solo visits, citing concerns about the security risks that come with staying in such a prominent, high-visibility location.
It marks the first time the Sussex family has taken up the king’s standing offer. Security has been a persistent flashpoint for Harry since he and Meghan stepped down as senior working royals in 2020. A spokesperson for the Sussexes has said Harry “continues to explore every available option to enable the visit to proceed safely and to give his children the opportunity to enjoy the U.K.”
King’s Desire to See Grandchildren
A royal source expressed cautious optimism about what a potential reunion could mean for the fractured family. “Any meeting between Harry and Meghan and the King would represent a huge thawing of relations,” the source said, adding that the king “loves his son and daughter-in-law dearly and would relish the chance to see his grandchildren.”
King Charles is said to have met young Lilibet for the very first time during the family’s June 2022 Jubilee visit, and sources suggest he has been eager to strengthen those bonds ever since. The question of whether the king will actually see the family during the visit remains unanswered. Sources close to the palace suggest the king would welcome a meeting, but that any such encounter would depend on a formal request coming from the Sussexes themselves. Harry last saw his father in September 2025, when he traveled to London for the annual WellChild Awards — a cause he has long championed — and afterward shared a private tea with Charles at Clarence House lasting approximately 55 minutes.
Brother’s Relationship Remains Fractured
The relationship between Harry and his older brother, Prince William, appears far more troubled. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams has said William “feels deeply betrayed” by Harry and has no current plans to arrange a meeting during the visit. William and Princess Kate remain deeply wounded, sources say, by the allegations Harry and Meghan made after departing royal life — claims that the couple felt abandoned and mistreated by the institution they once served. It is not known whether Harry plans to seek a meeting with William and Kate during the visit, either with or without Meghan present.
For a father who has publicly spoken about his longing to reconnect his children with their heritage, the trip carries deep personal significance. Insiders say Harry has been eager for his children to experience the country where he grew up and to meet extended family members they have barely, if ever, seen. For Archie and Lilibet, the trip would be a rare window into a world they have known little of firsthand. The children’s future connection to Britain — and to the family their father left behind — may well hinge on what happens over the course of a single week in July.
