Prince Harry considers 'every available option' to bring kids to UK amid security concerns
Prince Harry is exploring "every available option" to bring his wife and kids on a planned trip to the United Kingdom in July amid renewed security concerns, a spokesperson told ABC News.
Harry and his wife, Meghan the Duchess of Sussex, announced last week they would spend five days in the U.K., from July 7 to July 11, with their two children, 7-year-old Prince Archie and 5-year-old Princess Lilibet.
Now, a spokesman for Harry, the California-based younger son of King Charles III, said in a statement Monday the prince is concerned about whether "appropriate and proportionate protective security" will be in place for his family during their visit.
The spokesperson noted that accommodation has "never been" the issue. They referred to the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC), the U.K. government group that decides which high-profile public figures receive taxpayer-funded protective security.
"The independent Risk Management Board that RAVEC itself decided was necessary last November has still not taken place," the spokesperson said. "It is therefore difficult to understand how the proportionality of the current arrangements can credibly be maintained without that independent assessment."
Noting that accommodation has "never been" the issue, they referred to the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC), the UK government group that decides which high-profile public figures receive taxpayer-funded protective security.
"The independent Risk Management Board that RAVEC itself decided was necessary last November has still not taken place," the spokesperson said. "It is therefore difficult to understand how the proportionality of the current arrangements can credibly be maintained without that independent assessment."
In May 2025, Harry lost an appeal challenging the British government's decision to reduce his publicly funded security after he and Meghan stepped back from their royal duties in 2020 and moved to California.
Since moving to California, the Sussexes have relied on a privately funded security team.
Should the visit move forward, it would be the first publicly known trip to the U.K. for Archie and Lilibet since June 2022, when the family attended Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Harry's grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The 2022 visit was also the last time Charles, 77, is known to have seen his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet.
It is not known whether Charles, Harry's older brother, Prince William, with whom he has a strained relationship, or other royal family members would see the Sussexes during their upcoming visit.
ABC News understands that Charles offered the Sussexes accommodation for their July trip at a royal residence, which would have police protection.
Harry, who moved with Meghan to the U.S. in 2020, has spoken previously about wanting to bring his children to the U.K., saying that ongoing security concerns have remained a key issue.
"I miss the U.K., I miss parts of the U.K., of course I do ,and I think it's quite sad that I won't be able to show my children my homeland," he told the BBC last year, adding that he did not believe it was safe to bring Meghan and their children to the U.K. under the security arrangements at the time.
Harry's planned July visit is centered around several charities with which he is involved, including Scotty's Little Soldiers, Wellchild and Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style competition for wounded service members that Harry, a military veteran, launched over a decade ago.
Harry is scheduled to attend several events in Birmingham, England, as the city prepares to host the 2027 Invictus Games next summer.
Archie and Lilibet would not attend public events with their parents, ABC News understands.
Buckingham Palace has not commented on the Sussexes' planned trip.
