The Duke of Sussex, who has seen his father only twice in two years, hopes to be invited by the King to spend some “family time”, with his wife and two young children, in Norfolk this summer.
It will be more than four years since Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, saw their grandfather.
The Duchess of Sussex has not visited since September 2022, when the couple attended Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, and Archie and Lili have not been to the UK since the late Queen’s platinum jubilee in June that year.
Those close to Harry said he would welcome an invitation to Sandringham, the King’s estate in Norfolk, where the Prince and Princess of Wales also have their country home, Anmer Hall.
Harry, 41, is waiting for a decision on his security in the UK and has repeatedly said he does not feel it is safe to bring his family home unless he is reinstated with armed police protection. The Sussexes lost it after stepping down from royal duties and moving to America in 2020.
But he believes an invitation from the King to spend time with the monarch would enable him to bring Meghan, Archie and Lili with him.
A friend of Harry’s said: “If he was invited by the King, he would get a package of security that automatically kicks in. He’d like an invite to Sandringham. Would he go? It would depend who was there. If the King was to say, ‘Come up and spend some time with the family’, he’d love that.”
After their meeting in September, a source close to Harry said: “He always loves seeing his father and would love to see him as much as possible.”
Harry and Charles, 77, who is still being treated for cancer, last saw each other on September 10 last year, for a 50-minute meeting over tea at Clarence House while the prince was in the UK for engagements connected with his patronages. It was their first meeting in 19 months.
Father and son have spoken several times since, but they did not see each other in January when Harry returned to London for his court battle against Associated Newspapers. The case continues.
Harry remains estranged from the Prince of Wales and the brothers have not spoken or met since Elizabeth’s funeral.
The Princess of Wales, the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex walk to meet members of the public at Windsor Castle two days after the death of Queen Elizabeth, in September 2022kiristy o’connor/PA
The duke will return to the UK for around a week in July, for engagements marking one year until the Invictus Games are held in Birmingham, and to support the WellChild charity of which he is patron.
Charles traditionally spends his summer break with the royal family at Balmoral, from August to September, but often spends time at Sandringham in July.
After losing a long legal battle with the government over his security last year, Harry wrote to the home secretary asking for a full risk assessment to be carried out. The request was granted. He is now waiting to hear if the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), which makes the final decision on the level of police protection, will agree to the reinstatement. A decision is expected soon.
The friend of Harry’s said: “There is not a world in which he brings the kids back unless there is an enhanced security package around them. If the King wants to see the kids, all he needs to do is invite them over and it can happen. It is up to the King, unless Ravec do the right thing independently of the King and decide he requires an enhanced package of security, so he can stay as long as he wants whenever he wants, and see his father with the children. There are lots of scenarios to make it work, but it’s all out of Harry’s hands. No father would want to put their kids at any risk.”
A source familiar with the Ravec process said: “As part of the review being undertaken, the government is consulting a wide range of stakeholders, including the duke, and will reach a fair and appropriate decision on that basis. But everyone, presumably including the parents, must be horrified by any suggestion of using the King’s grandchildren as a form of bargaining tool in that process.”
At present, when Harry travels to the UK for engagements with his charities and patronages, he is accompanied by his own unarmed security team, which he funds privately. But he receives publicly funded police protection if attending official events at the King’s request, such as in the period after Elizabeth’s death and for Charles’s coronation in May 2023, when Harry returned to the UK for around 24 hours to see his father crowned at Westminster Abbey.
King Charles and Prince Harry at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022Splash
Before his visit to the UK last September, a source close to the duke told The Sunday Times: “He’s not given up hope on bringing his family back to the UK. He wants to be able to show his children where he grew up. He wants them to know their family here. He really would like to come back to the UK much more.”
Harry’s security is a contentious issue in royal circles, and sources close to the King have made it clear that Charles will not intervene in the process, as it would be constitutionally “inappropriate”. After losing his case against the Home Office in the Court of Appeal in May last year, Harry said in an interview with the BBC: “I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff … Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things. But I would love reconciliation with my family.”
In November 2023, a friend of the Sussexes told The Sunday Times that the couple would readily accept an invitation to spend Christmas with the King and the royal family at Sandringham, or a summer stay at Balmoral. It is understood neither transpired.