Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are expected to bring Archie and Lilibet to England in July, a rare family trip that would put the Sussexes back in the United Kingdom for the first time since June 2022. British media reports said the visit is being planned for next month and would end a long stretch away from Harry's home country.
The timing matters because Archie is 7 and lives in California with his parents and sister, making the July trip the first chance in years for the children to spend time in the United Kingdom. The family of four last joined a public celebration in June 2022, when they took part in the events marking Queen Elizabeth II's 70-year reign, while Meghan's most recent trip to Britain came in September 2022 for the Queen's funeral.
Harry's return is being watched closely because the visit comes after years of strained relations with the British royal family and fresh questions about security. He has said his concern for his family's safety has kept him from coming back more often, and a U.K. court rejected his appeal last year over the level of protection he and his family receive when they are in Britain.
The reporting leaves one central issue unresolved: what protection will be in place when the Sussex family arrives. That gap matters because the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left the United Kingdom in 2020, settled in California, and have spent years balancing a wish to mend ties with the royal family against the risks Harry says he sees on British soil.
Harry has described reconciliation as something he wants, and he said last year that there was no point in continuing to fight. He also met his father, Charles, in September at Clarence House in London for just under an hour, but the family has not seen Archie and Lilibet in around four years. If the July trip goes ahead, it will test whether a brief visit can do what years of public statements and private strain have not: bring the Sussex family closer to the rest of the British royal family without reopening old wounds.
