Prince Harry withdraws from court over comments made in Daily Mail publisher lawsuit
Prince Harry has left the High Court after giving emotional evidence in his privacy case against the Daily Mail publisher.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan will take their family on an unusual trip to the UK next month, according to reports in the British media.
Prince Harry, 41, is scheduled to visit the UK in July with his wife Meghan, 44, and their two children, Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday, June 17.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a dramatic exit from the UK in 2020. This event was named “Megxit,” a play on Brexit, the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. They currently live in California with their children Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5.
The trip will be the first time the Sussexes have visited Prince Harry’s home country since June 2022, when the four-member family attended celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne. Meghan’s last visit to the UK was in September 2022 for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
USA TODAY has reached out to a spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for comment.
Prince Harry cited serious concerns for his family’s safety and cited the lack of security on mainland Britain as part of a family rift as his reason for not returning. The Duke’s security was downgraded after he retired from royal life and official duties.
Last year, he lost his appeal in a British court over the level of security he and his family were entitled to while in the UK. It is unclear what safety measures will be in place for the Sussexes’ planned visit next month.
Family rifts exposed at Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s royal retreat
After retreating from the royal spotlight and moving to the United States, the Sussexes’ relationship with the royal family as a whole was thrown into further uncertainty by their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, in which they alleged racism within the family and claimed they felt rejected.
In response, Prince Harry’s brother Prince William defended the monarchy, saying, “We are in no way racist.” At the time, Buckingham Palace said Queen Elizabeth II was “saddened” by the comments.
Prince Harry criticized his family in his memoir Spare, saying he had urged Prince William and his father Charles III not to marry Camilla. He also claimed that there had been a rift between the brothers for a long time.
The King has not seen his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet for about four years. It is unclear whether the monarch will spend time with them next month. Archie was born in England in 2019, while his younger sister Lilibet was born in the United States.
In an interview with the BBC last year, the estranged prince expressed his desire to step away from family drama.
“I want to make peace with my family,” he said. “There’s no point in fighting any longer; life is precious.”
Prince Harry and his father Charles actually met in September. It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two sides since 2024, and the meeting took place at Clarence House, the royal residence in London. The talks lasted just under an hour, but many interpreted the move as a positive step in easing a very public rift in the royal family.
