Prince Harry issues huge update on bringing Archie and Lilibet back to UK after King Charles meeting
Will Archie and Lilibet make a visit to Britain in the near future?
Prince Harry has shared an update on his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, returning to the UK in the future following his meeting with King Charles.
The father and son, whose relationship has been strained in recent years, met for a private tea at Clarence House on September 10, marking their first in-person reunion in 19 months.
Harry, 41, last saw his father in February 2024, shortly after the king’s cancer diagnosis was publicly announced. However, it’s believed that the monarch, 76, has not seen his young grandchildren in over three years.
Security concerns over Archie and Lilibet in UK
Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, reportedly last visited the UK in June 2022 for Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebrations. At the time, Archie was just three, and Lilibet had only recently turned one.
Harry has expressed his concerns over bringing his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two young children to the UK amid security issues.
This week has definitely brought that closer.
When Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020, their taxpayer-funded security was downgraded. Harry appealed the decision in a series of legal hearings earlier this year. However, he was unsuccessful.
In May, Harry told the BBC: “I can’t see a world in which I will be bringing my wife and children back to the UK. They’re going to miss everything, I love my country. I miss the UK, I miss parts of the UK.
“It’s sad I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”
But now, following his meeting with Charles, Harry seems to have had a change of heart on the issue.
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Prince Harry reveals whether his children will return to Britain
Speaking to The Guardian, during his recent trip to Ukraine, Harry was asked whether he’d bring his children back to the UK one day despite the security arrangements.
He said: “Yes I would. This week has definitely brought that closer.”
It comes after a royal source said the king “wants to be a grandfather” to Archie and Lilibet.
“The king wants to be a grandfather to his grandchildren. So that’s an important pull,” the insider told the Daily Mail. “He was so pleased when they came over for Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee, and he was able to spend some time with them.”
According to the source, Charles and Harry’s meeting could have paved the way for Archie and Lilibet to visit one of the royal estates, such as Balmoral or Sandringham, sometime next year.
“But maybe there is a way of getting them over to Balmoral or Sandringham next year,” they reportedly said. “Or another royal residence where they are within the security perimeter.”
Harry ‘now regrets some of his actions’
Sources close to the Sussexes suggest that Harry has privately expressed a desire to rebuild bridges with his family.
One insider said that during the Clarence House meeting, Harry assured his father that he wanted to “reset” the relationship.
“It’s become clear that Harry now regrets some of his actions. He wants to reset his relationship with his family and with the people of the UK,” the insider said.
Although any full return to royal life is unlikely, the source claimed that last week’s meeting may represent “the start of something that at least allows them to be a functioning wider family again”.
Royal Insider contacted reps for Harry and King Charles for comment.
Read more: Prince Harry admits ‘the focus really has to be on my dad’ King Charles in new interview
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