Harry may not bring Meghan and their children on UK visit after taxpayer-funded protection was ‘denied’

Prince Harry is said to be reconsidering plans to bring his wife and children together with King Charles for the first time in four years.

His family reportedly had second thoughts after learning he would not receive police protection.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had planned to visit Britain in early July for five days of events related to the Invictus Games and had planned to bring Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet along.

The King, who is eagerly waiting to see his grandchildren, seems to be deeply horrified if the meeting cannot be held now.

And the Duke himself was described as ‘desperate’ for Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, to see their grandparents.

While the children are not expected to attend any public events, the Duchess is scheduled to join her husband on visits to Chelsea Royal Hospital and an Invictus event in Birmingham.

King III. Charles watches the RAF pass from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Joining the Colours

Harry has long argued that security concerns prevented him from bringing his family to the UK after the change in taxpayer protection

Details of the trip were announced Friday evening.

Shortly afterwards the Duke was told that his application for security for the visit had been rejected. Telegram reported

His family’s UK taxpayer-funded protection does not extend beyond the royal residences. However, they travel with their own protection.

The Duke received an invitation from the King for his family to spend part of the trip on the royal estate.

But the Telegraph quoted a source close to the California-based Sussexes as accusing the Home Office of ‘deliberately creating conditions that make it almost impossible’ for them to move in Britain.

The Executive Committee for the Protection of the Royal Family and Public Figures (Ravec) was thought to have reviewed the situation in March.

But last week the Duke was told the assessment had not taken place and had in fact been ‘paused’.

Since quitting royal duties to move abroad in 2020, Harry has been given a lot of attention during World War II. Police protection was not provided for anything other than official royal events, such as Elizabeth’s funeral.

He must give 28 days notice of his plans to visit the UK, which will be decided based on the security situation.

The prince made it clear that he was unhappy with the arrangements.

After losing a legal battle with the Government over the issue last year, Harry wrote to the Home Secretary demanding a full risk assessment be carried out on his family, which he claimed had not been done for some time.

Prince Harry and Meghan with Charles and Camilla at a Buckingham Palace garden party in May 2018, just days after their wedding

The King will last see the Sussexes in World War II in 2022. He saw it while he was in Britain for Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee.

The family celebrated Lilibet’s first birthday together at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

On Saturday, The Telegraph quoted a source as saying: ‘The tenuous security situation and endless speculation about where the family will stay is making the private security team’s planning and logistics increasingly difficult.

‘There have been three separate incidents that we know of in the UK in less than 12 months, each involving a stationary person approaching the Duke’s feet.

‘In some cases, they could not remove the person due to the restrictions on the powers of private security.

‘Harry is a big guy, an ex-soldier, and generally pretty solid when it comes to handling these events. ‘What everyone is most worried about is the impact such moments will have on children.’

While Meghan shares photos and videos on social media, their faces are hidden and they do not attend public events with their parents.

Options said to be under consideration include flying the Duchess and the children from mainland Europe to and from the UK in one day.

The Duke is said to have been assured by Buckingham Palace that there was ‘hope’ a meeting with the King could take place.

Sussex’s private security team has produced its own risk assessment, which identified serious concerns.

It is understood the family plans to visit Princess Diana’s grave at Althorp House in Northamptonshire during their visit to the UK.

Diana was buried on an island in the ornamental lake in the Althorp lands.

Althorp House was Diana’s home from the time of her parents’ divorce until her marriage to Charles.

Diana died at the age of 36 from injuries sustained in a car accident in Paris in August 1997; Harry was only 12 years old.

A Government spokesman said: ‘The UK Government’s protective security system is stringent and proportionate.

‘It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information about these arrangements as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect the safety of individuals.’