Prince Harry and Meghan are expected to return to the United Kingdom next month with their two children, in what would be the family’s first visit there in four years. British media, including the BBC, the Telegraph and ITV News, reported the trip plans on Wednesday.
The visit would bring Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, back to the country where Harry grew up, while also placing new attention on the family’s strained ties with the royal household. Harry and Meghan left the UK for North America in 2020 after stepping back from royal life and have since remained at the center of a public rift with the family.
A visit carrying more than travel plans
The reported trip comes after years of open tension shaped by interviews and Harry’s memoir, in which the Sussexes described tabloid intrusion, entrenched racism in British institutions, online abuse and complex family dynamics as part of their decision to leave. Their move also reflected a desire for financial independence.
Since then, Harry has made several shorter trips back to the UK. Among the most notable were his attendance at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022 and King Charles III’s coronation in 2023.
Harry also returned to England in September last year, when he reunited with his father in their first face-to-face meeting in 19 months. His most recent visit was in January this year, when he attended court in a lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
Questions about the royal reunion
It is not yet known whether King Charles will meet Archie and Lilibet during the reported visit. The children last saw their grandfather in person in 2022, when the Sussex family returned to the UK for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The trip also lines up with an event marking one year to the start of the Invictus Games, the biennial sporting competition Harry founded more than a decade ago. That connection adds another layer to a return already drawing attention because of the family’s long-running and very public estrangement.
