Meghan and Harry to stay in royal residence with children during UK visit

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have accepted an offer to stay in a royal residence with their two children when they visit the UK next month.

Harry and Meghan and their son Archie, seven, and daughter Lilibet, five, will be guests of the King on a royal estate for their first trip as a family to Britain in four years.

The royal residence they will use has not been made public.

The family will be in the UK for a number of days. They will also be staying in private accommodation during their trip.

Prince Harry is visiting Britain to begin the year-long countdown to the Invictus Games for injured military personnel due to be held in Birmingham next July.

He is also expected to visit other UK-based charities he has continued to support since his move to California.

On previous visits, Prince Harry has declined the offer to stay at Buckingham Palace due to concerns over using such a high-profile, visible building.

Last year, Prince Harry lost a legal battle to have police protection while visiting in the UK.

In a BBC News interview after the ruling, Prince Harry spoke of his desire for a "reconciliation" with the Royal Family. He also said he worried it would not be safe to bring his wife and children back to the country of his birth.

"I can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point and the things they're going to miss is, well, everything," Prince Harry said. "You know I love my country, I always have done despite what some people in the country have done."

The exact security arrangements for next month's trip have not been made public, but it is understood that no extra security provision has been offered by Buckingham Palace.

Any additional security provision will be a matter for the Home Office.

The last time the King saw his grandchildren in person was during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.

Last September, Prince Harry had tea with his father at Clarence House, which was their first face-to-face meeting since February 2024.

Neither Buckingham Palace nor representatives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will comment on the possibility of the King meeting his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, describing it as a private family matter.