Harry and Meghan accept offer to stay in royal residence during UK visit

Harry and Meghan accept offer to stay in royal residence during UK visit

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have accepted an invitation from King Charles III to stay at a royal residence during their upcoming visit to the United Kingdom. The couple, who now reside in California, will travel with their seven-year-old son, Archie, and five-year-old daughter, Lilibet.

The family is scheduled to be in the country from July 7 to July 11. According to a news release shared with USA TODAY, the couple plans to divide their stay between royal residences and private accommodation. While the specific residence has not been disclosed, Buckingham Palace had been suggested as a possibility during previous potential trips. However, Prince Harry has previously declined stays at the palace due to security concerns regarding the building's high-profile and visible nature.

This trip represents the first time the family has visited the UK together since the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. It will also allow King Charles to see his grandchildren in person for the first time in four years.

The visit is centered on a one-year countdown to the Invictus Games, which will be held in Birmingham next July. The family will take part in lead-up celebrations, starting with events in London where Meghan will join Harry. The Duke also plans to visit other UK-based charities he supports. Despite the public nature of these events, the couple's children are not expected to make any public appearances.

Beyond official duties, Prince Harry plans to take his children to Althorp House in Northamptonshire to visit the grave of Princess Diana for the first time.

The decision to stay on a royal estate may signal a rapprochement between the father and son. Harry last saw the King in September, when the two shared tea at Clarence House. That meeting was their first face-to-face encounter since February 2024, occurring while the King was receiving treatment for cancer.

But the visit follows years of public friction. After stepping back from senior royal duties in 2020—a move often called Megxit—the couple faced a rift with the royal family. Harry later detailed allegations of tabloid intrusion and family dysfunction in his memoir, Spare. Following the book's release in 2023, the couple were asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, a gift from the late Queen.

Security remains a primary point of contention. Harry has been engaged in a legal battle with the Home Office over his level of protection. In May 2025, he lost a Court of Appeal challenge regarding the security he and his family are entitled to while in Britain.

Following that ruling, Harry told the BBC:

"I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point, and the things they're going to miss is, well, everything."

Prince Harry, via BBC

He added that he loves his country despite what some people in the country have done and expressed a desire for reconciliation with the royal family.

Current security arrangements for the July trip remain opaque. Representatives for the Sussexes stated in a news release that a risk management board has not been conducted for the visit, despite six months of notice. They noted that according to the Terms of Reference for the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC), such a board should be conducted annually, but the Duke's last was nearly seven years ago.

While the family will be protected by existing security arrangements while in a royal residence, it is understood that Buckingham Palace has offered no extra security provision. Any additional arrangements are a matter for the Home Office.

Neither Buckingham Palace nor the Sussex representatives have commented on whether the couple will meet with other members of the royal family, describing the matter as private. Harry remains estranged from his brother, Prince William.

The visit concludes as the couple continues their independent ventures in California, including the media company Archewell Productions and Meghan's lifestyle brand, As Ever.