Harry’s plans for family reunion under cloud after security request denied

Prince Harry is reportedly reconsidering bringing his wife and children to the UK next month after his request for taxpayer-funded police protection for his family was rejected.

It had been widely reported that the Duke of Sussex was planning to bring his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to the UK for the first time since 2022 to spend personal time with his father King Charles, during the trip to mark one year until the Invictus Games are held in Birmingham.

But these plans might now be in disarray after his formal request for taxpayer-funded security for his wife and children was reportedly rejected.

The BBC has reported the Duke’s team put forward a formal request for police security for himself and his family while they are in the UK but were told on Friday that no taxpayer-funded security would be provided during their trip.

The BBC quoted sources who said the Duke was distraught over the decision, which came just days before the family was due to touch down in his homeland.

The Duke’s team was reportedly waiting for the result of a review by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC), which decides on the security provision for senior royals.

Read more

Prince Harry releases new environmental video as brothers duel over same cause

It is the same body Harry has been in a stoush with since 2020, sparking court action.

The BBC quoted a government spokesman who said its protective security system was “rigorous and proportionate”, but would not comment on the Sussex matter.

“It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security,” the spokesman said.

It has also been revealed overnight by the Sussex’s team that they had accepted an offer from King Charles to stay on a royal estate during the trip.

The location of the royal residence that will host the Sussex family, should they make the trip, has not been made public.

However, Buckingham Palace sources told the BBC it had not received any confirmation that the offer had been accepted.

If they take up the offer, they would have police protection while inside the royal estate but would need a private security team when outside its gates.

This would most likely mean the California-based couple would have to bring their own security team from the US for the trip, which is expected to last about five days.

It is believed the Duchess of Sussex was planning to join her husband on a number of public engagements in London and the Midlands.

If their last family trip in 2022 is anything to go by, the children will not be seen in public.

During solo trips back to the UK over the past few years, Prince Harry declined the offer to stay at Buckingham Palace due to security concerns over using such a high-profile location. He instead opted to stay in a hotel with his own private security team to protect him.

The news that the family’s application for security was rejected has thrown a wrench in a planned family reunion with the royals.

The Duke of Sussex, 41, and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, 44, are just one week away from returning to the UK for the first time in four years.

Many hope that this trip will mean that the feud between the royal family members is thawing once and for all.

However, The Telegraph UK reported that Harry’s plans were foiled by RAVEC.

A source told the outlet that Britain’s Home Office was “wilfully creating conditions that are making it nearly impossible” for the family to move around the country on their trip.

The denial of this protection means that, other than when on royal grounds, the Sussex family will not receive taxpayer-funded police protection.

This was the main condition that Harry was fighting for in court over the past several years.

After he lost his bid to get protection for his family in 2025, he told the BBC, “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.

“I love my country, I always have done, despite what some people in that country have done.”

In January this year, a fresh risk assessment was carried out by RAVEC, with reports at the time suggesting that Harry had finally won his bid to get taxpayer-funded security for his family.

At the time, the results of the assessment were not made public. However, it now seems it did not work in Harry’s favour after all.

The main reason for the visit is the one-year to go launch event on July 17, which promotes the Invictus Games ahead of the tournament in Birmingham in 2027.

Prince Harry will also carry out engagements connected with his remaining patronages, such as WellChild and Scotty’s Little Soldiers.