From California exile to palace stays, Harry and Meghan return to UK for July family trip

LONDON, June 28 — Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and two children will stay at royal residences during their first family trip back to the UK in four years in July, a source familiar with the matter said Saturday.

The estranged prince and his family, including seven-year-old Archie and five-year-old Lilibet, will stay in a mixture of royal residences and private accommodation during the visit, the source confirmed to AFP.

The BBC reported the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be guests of King Charles III at an unspecified royal estate during the visit.

During previous visits, Harry has declined accommodation on royal estates, according to media reports.

The couple left Britain for North America in 2020 and stepped back from royal duties amid a bitter feud with the family, which worsened in the following years as Harry published his tell-all memoir “Spare” and was embroiled in legal battles in the UK.

Harry, 41, is visiting to mark the one-year countdown towards next year’s Invictus Games, launched by the prince in 2014 for wounded veterans.

The king’s younger son has said he would like to reconcile with his father, but it is unclear whether the two will meet during the visit.

He is last believed to have briefly met with his 77-year-old father, who is being treated for an undisclosed cancer, at the king’s Clarence House residence in London in September 2025.

But after losing a court case to have full police protection restored during UK visits last year, the prince expressed concerns about his family’s safety in the country.

“It’s impossible for me to take my family back to the UK safely,” he told the BBC then.

While the security arrangements for July’s visit remain unclear, the BBC reported that Buckingham Palace had not offered any extra security for the trip.

Harry was also expected to attend engagements with his other charities during the multi-day visit. — Reuters