Prince Harry is preparing for his longest stay in Britain in nearly two years, with friends claiming the Duke of Sussex still hopes to one day return with his wife Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.
The Duke will embark on a four-day solo visit to the UK, centred around the WellChild Awards on September 8. The date is a poignant one, marking the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, and will see Harry honour a charity he has supported for well over a decade.
Harry’s return highlights a complex chapter in his relationship with Britain and the royal family. According to The Sunday Times, a close friend revealed: “He’s not given up hope on bringing his family back to the UK. He wants to be able to show his children where he grew up. He wants them to know their family here. He really would like to come back to the UK much more.”
While Harry has made brief trips in recent years — including attending his father’s coronation in May 2023 — Meghan has not set foot in the UK since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022. Archie and Lilibet last visited during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June of that year. The absence of the Duchess and children has been noted as a lingering sign of strained ties.
One of the biggest hurdles remains the Duke’s legal battle over his security arrangements. Earlier this year, Harry lost his high-profile court case against the Home Office, challenging the decision to downgrade his police protection.
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Reports suggest the case cost him more than £1 million, with the prince’s team now admitting that “pressing the nuclear button” through litigation may not have been the wisest course of action.
Instead, Harry is believed to be shifting to a quieter strategy, with The Sunday Times noting that private lobbying efforts over security are likely to continue behind the scenes. The Duke has long argued that adequate security is essential if he is to bring Meghan and their children back to Britain regularly.
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The upcoming visit also fuels speculation about whether Harry will reunite with King Charles III. Father and son have not met since February 2024, when Harry made a brief trip following the King’s cancer diagnosis. Although images surfaced in July showing senior aides from both households meeting, suggesting tentative steps toward reconciliation, as of last weekend no meeting between Harry and his father had been formally arranged.
Observers note that Harry’s return comes at a sensitive time. His relationship with the royal family has been strained since he and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020, relocating to California. The couple’s media ventures, including the Netflix docuseries and Harry’s memoir Spare, have only deepened divides.
Yet, friends insist the Duke is determined to maintain connections to his homeland. His patronage of WellChild remains one of the strongest symbols of his continued bond with the UK, reflecting his longstanding commitment to supporting children with serious health needs.
For Harry, the upcoming awards ceremony may serve as both a public duty and a private reminder of what is at stake. Bringing Archie and Lilibet to the UK would allow them to connect not only with their British heritage but also with their extended royal relatives, many of whom they have barely met.
As speculation mounts over possible family meetings, the central message from those close to Harry is clear: while security disputes and personal tensions remain unresolved, he has not abandoned the hope of bridging the Atlantic divide.
The question now is whether this UK visit — his most significant since September 2022 — marks the beginning of a quieter, more reconciliatory phase, or simply another chapter in the ongoing complexities of the Sussexes’ royal journey.