Reportedly, Prince Harry is set to make a return to the UK next month for a special service commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games.
Harry, the founder of the Paralympic-style sporting event in 2014, is scheduled to deliver a speech at the event on May 8th at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
However, the question remains: will Meghan Markle join him, along with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet?
Archie, who will be turning five on May 6th, and two-year-old Lili were last in the UK in June 2022 to celebrate the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Incidentally, it was also Lili’s first birthday, which the family marked in Windsor.
Whether the Sussexes will all make the journey from California to London next month for the Invictus Games event remains uncertain, but their spokesperson is expected to confirm their attendance closer to the date.
It’s possible that the Duchess may opt to remain at home with their children, as she has done on previous occasions.
For instance, during King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation in May 2023, Meghan chose to stay in California rather than disrupt Archie and Lili’s routine by pulling them out of nursery and pre-school.
In a written statement prepared for his legal challenge against the Home Office regarding changes to his security arrangements when visiting the UK, the Duke expressed his and his wife’s sadness at feeling compelled to step back from their royal roles 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 US. 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.”
Should the Sussexes decide against visiting the UK in May, there is a possibility they might arrange a family excursion in June for the wedding of the Duke of Westminster. Harry shares a close friendship with the groom, Hugh Grosvenor, who is scheduled to wed his fiancée Olivia Henson on June 7th at Chester Cathedral.
Hugh holds the role of godfather to Prince Archie, raising the likelihood that the young prince has been invited to participate as a pageboy, potentially alongside his cousin Prince George, who is also Hugh’s godson.
