Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are not currently expected to accompany Prince Harry on his planned trip to Britain next month.
Prince Harry, 41, is due to return to Birmingham in July for a series of competition-related events leading up to the 2027 Invictus Games.
The visit has fuelled fresh speculation over whether Meghan Markle, 44, and their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, might return to the UK after a long absence, especially given that Prince Harry has previously spoken about his wish for them to stay connected to their British roots.
However, according to sources who spoke to PEOPLE, there is still no change at this time. They explained that security issues remain the primary reason the family has not been able to return to the UK together in recent years.
A security review reported by The Mail on Sunday in January claimed that Prince Harry met the criteria for enhanced protection when in the UK. At the time, a source close to the Duke described the expected security approval as little more than a “formality.”
Still, although there were signs of progress behind the scenes, no formal decision has been officially announced or communicated.
Although the situation may still change ahead of Harry’s July visit, sources indicate that expectations surrounding the trip remain the same for now.
The possibility of another solo visit by Prince Harry comes as members of the royal family are set to assemble in London on Saturday, June 13, for Trooping the Colour, the annual birthday parade for King Charles.
Meghan Markle and Harry have not received invitations to the event in recent years, and this year’s ceremony is no different.
The event has also changed significantly since the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. In 2022, Buckingham Palace limited the traditional balcony appearance to working members of the royal family, reshaping Trooping the Colour into a display focused on the monarch’s official working royals as part of King Charles’ vision for a more streamlined monarchy.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their roles as working members of the royal family in 2020. The couple subsequently moved to California, Meghan’s home state, where they now reside with their children.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have previously appeared together at Invictus Games countdown events in Germany in 2022 and Canada in 2024.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were in the UK for charity engagements when Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022. The Duke and Duchess extended their stay to attend her funeral and the series of official events that followed.
Prince Harry has previously stated that he does not feel safe bringing his wife and children to the UK, following the removal of their state-funded security after stepping down from royal duties. He has also been engaged in a legal challenge seeking the restoration of his police protection arrangements.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, said in a statement to the High Court in London that security for his two children is necessary for them to “feel at home” when in his native country.
“The U.K. is my home. The U.K. 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 United States,” Harry said. “That cannot happen if there is no possibility to keep them safe when they are on U.K. soil.”
“I can’t put my wife in danger like that, and given my experiences in life, I’m reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too,” he added.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet have returned to the UK only once since the family relocated to the United States in 2020, during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. Archie was born in the UK, while Lilibet was born in California.
Security concerns have remained a major source of tension in the ongoing strain between Prince Harry and the wider royal family.
“I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” he told the BBC.
“Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has,” he continued, seemingly referring to the 77-year-old King’s cancer diagnosis, which was announced in 2024. “He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.”
On September 10, 2025, Prince Harry met King Charles III at Clarence House in London for a private conversation that lasted about 55 minutes. The meeting marked the first in-person reunion between the father and son in 19 months.
Prince Harry has been present at Trooping the Colour from his early years, while Meghan Markle has appeared alongside the royal family at the ceremony on a number of past occasions.
Meghan Markle first attended the annual Trooping the Colour parade only weeks after her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. The couple also took part in the 2019 edition, shortly after the birth of their son, Archie.
On both occasions, they travelled in a horse-drawn carriage during the procession and later joined the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the traditional finale.
In 2020 and 2021, Trooping the Colour was held in a reduced format due to the coronavirus pandemic. The full ceremonial parade returned in 2022, when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry appeared at the event as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
But that year a change in protocol limited participation in the parade and balcony appearance to working members of the royal family only. As a result, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry observed the ceremony from the Major General’s Office overlooking Horse Guards Parade alongside other non-working royals.
