Prince Harry's UK trip sparks media buzz over whether Meghan and kids will join him

By — Danica Kirka, Associated Press Danica Kirka, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/prince-harrys-uk-trip-sparks-media-buzz-over-whether-meghan-and-kids-will-join-him Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Prince Harry's UK trip sparks media buzz over whether Meghan and kids will join him World Jul 6, 2026 4:09 PM EDT LONDON (AP) — The drama that seems to surround Prince Harry returns to the United Kingdom this week, and the previews already have the British press buzzing with anticipation. King Charles III's estranged son arrived Monday in the land of his birth for a series of charity engagements. But for most royal watchers that's just background noise. For the past 10 days, British tabloids and news broadcasts have been filled with speculation about whether Harry's wife, Meghan, will accompany him and, more importantly, whether they will bring their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, so they can finally get to know Grandpa Charles. But everything is up in the air as Harry seeks to arrange protection for his family after a government committee refused to authorize taxpayer-funded security. "With just days to go until Harry's first public engagement in the UK on Tuesday … very little is guaranteed at all," the Times of London reported on Saturday. "For Archie and Lilibet to meet the king, it's now or never,'' wrote the Telegraph. The kids' trip hinges on adequate security measures Harry, a British army veteran who served in Afghanistan, is visiting to attend events ahead of the next Invictus Games, the Paralympic-style competition he founded to motivate and inspire military veterans around the world as they work to overcome battlefield injuries. The games will be held in Birmingham next year. Not on the official schedule but very much in the media spotlight is a decision Tuesday at the High Court in London, where the judge will reveal his verdict in Harry's invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail. The decision about whether to bring the children, according to reports based on off-the-record briefings and unidentified people close to the royals, hinges on whether the U.K. government agrees to provide security for Harry and his family. It is an issue that has hung over every trip the prince has made to Britain since he and Meghan decamped to North America six years ago. British authorities say Harry isn't entitled to blanket protection because he is no longer a working member of the royal family and they will assess his security on a case-by-case basis, just like any other celebrity. Harry says it is unsafe for his children to travel to Britain without protection because his family remains a target simply by virtue of their royal status. The decision rests with a government committee known as Ravec that rules on who should get state-funded protection. The outcome could be problematic for the royal family, whi