Prince Harry to Stay at Buckingham Palace Alone During UK Visit

Prince Harry has agreed to stay at Buckingham Palace during his visit to the UK later this week.

The Duke of Sussex is travelling to Britain to attend an event celebrating the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games, which will be held in Birmingham.

However, Sky News understands that the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, along with the couple's children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, will not accompany him on the trip to London.

Harry had originally hoped to bring his family with him. The children have not seen their grandfather, King Charles III, in person since the late Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations four years ago.

The King had previously offered accommodation for the Sussex family at a royal residence. However, reports at the end of June indicated that Prince Harry's latest request for taxpayer-funded police protection during UK visits had not been approved.

Palace sources have emphasized that the King has no role in decisions regarding his son's security arrangements.

In 2025, Harry lost a court challenge against the UK government's decision to reduce his publicly funded security after he stepped down as a working member of the Royal Family in 2020.

The Duke has since appealed directly to RAVEC—the committee responsible for determining security provisions for members of the Royal Family and other public figures—and is awaiting a review following a personal submission made in December.

Security concerns are believed to be the main reason Meghan and the children are not travelling to the UK. Harry's protection team is said to be awaiting an updated threat assessment from the Risk Management Board (RMB), whose findings help guide RAVEC's decisions.

The RMB had been expected to meet in March to reassess the risks facing the Duke and his family, but that meeting did not take place.

Following the dismissal of his legal appeal, Harry told the BBC that he could not imagine bringing his wife and children back to Britain under the current security arrangements.

During this visit, Harry will stay at Buckingham Palace. The move comes after official documents revealed that the palace's extensive refurbishment programme has reached a cost of around £370 million and confirmed that King Charles will not make it his primary London residence.

The decision was made in part to allow greater public access to Buckingham Palace, as having the monarch living there would require tighter security measures that could significantly limit visitor access to the historic landmark.