Royal household staff have grown exasperated as Prince Harry’s forthcoming UK trip has descended into disarray, with the Duchess of Sussex and their two children now withdrawing from the London leg of the visit.
Palace officials had anticipated arranging a low-key family gathering behind closed doors, schedules permitting. Instead, they find themselves preparing for upheaval.
“The drama surrounding the Sussexes has once again become ‘tiresome’,” one royal source told The Telegraph.
On Saturday it emerged that Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet would not be joining Harry in the capital, just days before the family had been expected to arrive.
Royal household staff have grown exasperated as Prince Harry’s forthcoming UK trip has descended into disarray, with the Duchess of Sussex and their two children now withdrawing from the London leg of the visit.
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Aides are described as both “wary” and “weary” of the visit, with patience wearing increasingly thin as last-minute complications mount.
The Duke is said to have “painted himself into a corner” over security matters, according to one source, who added that he “needs an off-ramp” on the issue.
Growing unease surrounds the perception that the Sussex children are being deployed as leverage. Several critics have characterised the repeated changes of plan regarding Archie and Lilibet as “emotional blackmail.”
The Duke maintains hope of arranging a meeting with his father, though the location and timing remain unclear. A spokesman stated: “The Duke continues to explore every available option to enable the visit to proceed safely and to give his children the opportunity to enjoy the UK.”
The Duke is said to have “painted himself into a corner” over security matters, according to one source, who added that he “needs an off-ramp” on the issue.
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Whether the family will participate in the remaining three days of the itinerary beyond London has yet to be determined. Events in Birmingham connected to the Invictus Games and a visit to Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire remain in question.
With just two days until the first scheduled public engagement, no firm plans have been confirmed.
Buckingham Palace reportedly has no clearer picture of the arrangements or any potential audience with the King, despite communication channels with the Sussex team remaining open.
The scheduling difficulties are compounding as the visit approaches. Adding engagements to the monarch’s meticulously organised diary becomes progressively more challenging as time runs short, officials have indicated.
Whether the family will participate in the remaining three days of the itinerary beyond London has yet to be determined.
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Another source close to the Duke said: “Of course the Duke wants his children to see the King.”
Royal sources have emphasised that any private encounter between the King and his grandchildren would carry no implications for the Sussexes’ official standing.
The couple remain non-working royals, with no prospect of alteration. “There is still no half-in, half-out,” one source noted. “It’s what they agreed with the late Queen.”
The family is expected to spend part of their trip at Althorp House, the Northamptonshire estate of Princess Diana’s family, where Harry could visit his mother’s grave.