Prince Harry’s highly anticipated return to the UK for the Invictus Games celebration may be in jeopardy. 2024 has already been a turbulent year for the Royals, marked by health concerns for King Charles and Kate Middleton, as well as Harry’s court battle loss. Now, reports suggest the Duke of Sussex is considering cancelling his trip due to ongoing security concerns. This decision comes amid heightened tensions following his and Meghan’s departure from official royal duties and subsequent relocation to the United States.
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According to reports, the Duke is planning to travel to London, United Kingdom in May to mark the tenth anniversary of his ‘wise’ initiative Invictus Gaming. The Sussexes have been trying to keep in touch during the current events, seemingly hoping to find a way to work things out. However, after his recent legal setback within the family, it appears that this plan has been put on hold. As per the Mirror, Duke lost at the High Court, resulting in huge legal costs of £1 million. He is appealing the decision and is reportedly very unhappy with the proposed security measures for his visit to the UK.
Previous plans for Meghan and the children to accompany Harry were reportedly scrapped due to the same security concerns. Now, a source has informed the Express that, “his security team must be sure that St. Paul’s is adequately protected by the metropolitan police and his own security needs are met while he’s in London.”
The source further claimed that Harry’s visits to the UK always depend on the level of security provided for him and his family, given his status. However, the current situation may result in him watching the event on TV rather than attending in person. ‘Harry wants to spend more time in the UK with his family, but there’s no way he can do that while a question mark hangs over his security detail,’ the insider mentioned. The young royal could also send a pre-recorded message to address the event.
While the Sussexes are currently immersed in rolling out their exclusive Netflix series aimed at Kitchen, gardening and polo, but experts say they are very disappointed with the UK legal setback. Harry has always spoken about how London is special to him because it is ‘his home’, but in February this year, he lost his security battle with the Home Office and the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC), after battling them over security concerns. He was fighting to reverse a decision which saw him lose his security status after he and his wife stepped down from their role as ‘working royals.’