Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Bring Their Own Security on UK Trip With Kids
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are leaving nothing to chance ahead of their return to the U.K. next month.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will bring their own security team when they travel with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, for their first U.K. visit in four years, Page Six reported Thursday, June 25.
According to the outlet, the royals are preparing for a “huge spectacle.” Harry, who spends about $3 million a year on private security stateside, has yet to be granted VIP protection after a battle with the British Home Office for 24/7 armed police coverage and remains in what a source called a “holding pattern.”
Harry has been offered a royal residence with private security for the family’s stay, though the Sussexes won’t be flying by private jet. “Harry always travels with one of two of his own security team,” a source said, per the outlet.
Harry reportedly hopes to use the visit to reconnect with his father, King Charles III, who has rarely seen his grandchildren. Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, “know it will make the biggest spectacle,” the source said, according to the article. “They will want photos of them being ‘royal.'”
Per Page Six, the big lingering question is whether the Sussexes and Buckingham Palace will release a photo of Charles with Archie and Lilibet, whose faces have rarely been shown publicly despite frequent appearances on Meghan’s Instagram.
According to the outlet, the Home Office said, “The UK Government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”
A Sussex rep declined to comment on security matters, per the report.
As Star previously reported, Archie and Lilibet aren’t expected to reunite with cousins Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8, during the visit, given the strained relationship between Harry and Prince William. However, Harry does plan to visit his mother Princess Diana‘s gravesite.
