Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are set to return to the United Kingdom next month with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, marking their first family visit to the country in four years.
The trip has sparked renewed speculation about a possible reconciliation between the Sussexes and the rest of the British royal family.
The family is expected to stay in a royal residence during part of their visit, alongside private accommodation. Although they had previously been offered lodging on the royal estate for future visits, this will be the first time they have accepted the invitation.
Their children, Archie, aged seven, and Lilibet, aged five, will also be making their first visit to the UK since the family’s attendance at Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.
Prince Harry and Meghan stepped down from their roles as senior members of the royal family in 2020 before relocating to California, where they have since built a new life focused on independent ventures.
Their departure led to years of tension with the royal family, with the couple publicly citing intense media scrutiny, family disagreements, and concerns about racism within British institutions as major reasons for their decision.
Since leaving royal duties, Harry has made several solo visits to the UK. Meghan accompanied him for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022, while Harry attended King Charles III’s coronation alone in 2023.
In September last year, Harry reunited privately with King Charles III for the first time in 19 months. The meeting, held at Clarence House while the King was undergoing cancer treatment, fueled speculation that relations between father and son were gradually improving. Reports suggest they have remained in contact since then.
However, Harry is still believed to have a strained relationship with his brother, Prince William.
Earlier this year, the Duke of Sussex returned to London to attend court proceedings in connection with a legal case against the publisher of the Daily Mail, involving allegations of unlawful information gathering and phone hacking.
