Prince Harry said he has not given up hope of bringing his wife, Meghan, and their two children to the United Kingdom, despite losing an appeal to restore the state-funded security detail that would have accompanied them.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, has not brought the entire family to Britain since 2022 and has been pursuing legal challenges after the government ended publicly funded police protection for him following his decision to step back from senior royal duties. "He’s not given up hope on bringing his family back to the UK," a friend told the Sunday Times, adding that Harry wants his children to "know their family here" and to see where he grew up.
Harry lost a long-running appeal that sought reinstatement of publicly funded security while he and his family were in Britain, and sources told Page Six that the litigation may have cost more than $1 million. Those close to the duke said his team plans to scale back public legal confrontations and pursue a "quieter, under-the-radar approach," which could include private lobbying of government officials on security arrangements.
The Sussexes — the duke, the duchess, and their children Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4 — last visited together for Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebrations in 2022. They returned to the U.K. later that year for the queen’s funeral, but Meghan has not been back since 2022 and Lilibet has been to the country only once.
Harry is expected to travel to Britain this week to attend the WellChild Awards, a charity event he founded, but sources said the trip will not include time to meet with his father, King Charles III. The king, 76, and his second-born son have not had extended contact in recent months; the two met for a reported 30 minutes in February 2024 after the king disclosed a cancer diagnosis.
Speaking to the BBC in May, Harry said he misses the U.K. and expressed a desire for reconciliation with his family. "I don’t know how much longer my father has," he told the broadcaster, adding that some family members "will never forgive me for writing a book" and that he would nonetheless "love a reconciliation with my family." His 2023 memoir, Spare, detailed tensions with King Charles and with his elder brother, Prince William.
Legal experts and commentators say the outcome of the security litigation has broader implications for how the British government handles protection for members of the royal family who no longer perform official duties. The government’s position has been that publicly funded security is provided to those carrying out official public duties or where there is a demonstrable and state-assessed threat that warrants deployment of police resources.
The duke’s legal bid to secure protection for his family while visiting the U.K. brought public attention to the balance between privacy, security and public funding for protection. Sources close to Harry indicated the family’s approach will shift away from high-profile court cases and toward private discussions with officials, although it is not yet clear what arrangements, if any, could be agreed for future visits.
Officials have previously said decisions about police protection are made on a case-by-case basis and are informed by threat assessments. The royal household declined to comment on private family matters, and a representative for the duke did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The dispute over protection has coincided with a sustained rupture in relations between members of the royal family, and the security ruling is likely to affect whether and how the Sussexes plan future trips to Britain. Harry’s expressed wish to bring his family back and to show his children the country where he grew up illustrates a continuing personal interest in reconnecting with family and roots, even as formal reconciliation and arrangements for security remain unresolved.
