Meghan Markle has chosen not to accompany her husband to London this week for the Invictus Games celebrations – and there are question marks over whether she will ever step foot back in the UK again
Prince Harry is once again back in Britain on his own. The Duke flew to London on Tuesday to attend a celebration for the Invictus Games at St Paul’s today – but wife Meghan Markle decided to stay at home.
According to sources, Meghan had actually been ‘listed as a guest’ for the service, with insiders telling the Express in early April that there was a ‘question mark’ over whether the Duchess would make an appearance.
But news that she would remain in California was soon confirmed by a spokesperson for the couple. And it didn’t come as a surprise to most royal watchers.
Meghan has stepped foot in the UK three times since leaving the Royal Family in 2020. She attended the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 with Harry – but they didn’t get the warmest of welcomes.
The Sussexes attended a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral as part of the celebrations. It was their first joint public appearance with the Royal Family in two years. But a video of the couple leaving the service showed crowds booing as they left St Paul’s Cathedral.
Meghan then decided not to join her husband as he returned to the UK once again in May 2023 for King Charles’ coronation.
It was recently reported that Prince William and Princess Kate reached out to extend an olive branch to Meghan and Harry, urging them to bring their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to the UK so they can get to know them. However, Meghan is said to have put her foot down and refused.
Royal expert Tom Quinn told the Mirror: “There is no way Meghan would bring the children to the UK. William and Kate have suggested that Meghan and Harry bring the children and that the two couples and their families try to make up, but the suggestion is not leading anywhere so far.”
His sentiments were echoed in Omid Scobie’s bombshell book Endgame. The author claimed Meghan “never felt at home” in the UK and bluntly suggested she “never wants to set foot again in England”. He also claimed she decided to skip the King’s Coronation last May because she refuses to “dive back into the soap opera of the court”.
Her decision not to join Harry for his trip this week comes after the Duke of Sussex opened up about his desire to make more visits to see his family.
During an interview with Good Morning America back in February, Harry said: “So my family and my life in California is as it is. I have got other trips planned. That would take me through the UK or back to the UK, so you know, I’ll stop in and see my family as much as I can.”
While Meghan is said to be worried about her popularity in the UK, as well as the couple’s ongoing feud with the royals, she has another area of concern – security.
According to the Telegraph, Harry and Meghan feel that unless he can overturn a ruling by the Home Office that means he is not immediately entitled to police protection in Britain, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet cannot come back to his homeland.
At one of the previous hearings in the case, Harry said in a written statement: “It was with great sadness for both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020. The UK is my home.
“The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home, as much as where they live at the moment in the United States. That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil. I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.”
Earlier this year, the High Court turned down Prince Harry’s latest attempt to challenge the Home Office over the level of his security when visiting the UK from his home in the United States.
The ruling reiterated that the committee deciding on security for royalty, VIPs and senior public figures – known as Ravec – was entitled to have made its decision over changing Prince Harry’s protection when his status changed, when he stopped being a working member of the Royal Family.
Prince Harry’s legal team had argued that he had been treated unfairly in the changes to his police protection, when he still faced significant security threats.
But the ruling from Sir Peter Lane stated: “The reality of the matter is that the claimant considers he should receive a different approach to his protection whilst in the UK than Ravec decided he should, based in part on his comparison of his own position with that of others. Ravec, as an expert body, concluded otherwise. It was entitled to do so.”
Harry’s lawyers have since confirmed that he plans to continue his legal fight over changes to his police protection when in the UK.
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