Prince Harry intends to press ahead with his push for state-funded protection, emboldened by a poignant family gathering with his father earlier this month.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, was reunited with King Charles at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire on Saturday, July 11, marking the first occasion the monarch had spent time with his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet since 2022.
Queen Camilla was also present as the royal couple hosted the Sussexes for afternoon tea at their country residence.
Sources have characterised the encounter as “emotional,” with both father and son expressing a desire to organise additional meetings in the coming months.
Prince Harry intends to press ahead with his push for state-funded protection, emboldened by a poignant family gathering with his father earlier this month
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The duke is keen to facilitate more opportunities for Charles to see his grandchildren, whom he has rarely encountered since Harry and Meghan relocated to California in 2020.
Harry is scheduled to return to Britain in September for the annual WellChild Awards, a charity he has championed since becoming its patron in 2007.
The duke will also attend the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham and remains hopeful that Meghan and their children will be able to join him.
A spokesman for the Duke of Sussex told the Mirror: “The Duke continues to make the case that he and his family face an enduring security risk by virtue of the circumstances of his birth and his membership of the Royal Family.
Meghan, Archie and Lilibet met the King and Queen at Highgrove House
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INSTAGRAM/@MEGHAN“The threats that existed while he was a working member of the institution did not simply vanish when he stepped back from official duties six years ago. They remain, and the most recent threat assessment underscores the continuing nature of those risks.”
The Highgrove gathering came together despite considerable logistical challenges surrounding the family’s travel arrangements.
Harry had initially intended for the entire family to journey to London together from a European holiday, with plans to stay at Buckingham Palace.
However, those arrangements fell through when the Home Office declined to provide round-the-clock protection for the visit, forcing the Sussexes to travel separately.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met in 2016 and now live in the US | GETTY
The King withdrew the offer of Palace accommodation, with royal aides citing insufficient notice to arrange appropriate staffing.
Following a substantial internal security operation, Meghan and the children ultimately flew from Europe to the Midlands, having abandoned their original London plans due to safety concerns.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor the Sussexes’ representatives have disclosed further details of the tea gathering beyond confirming it took place.
Harry’s pursuit of taxpayer-funded protection has faced repeated setbacks in the courts.
In February 2025, the High Court ruled that the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures acted correctly when it downgraded his police protection upon his return to Britain.
The duke appealed that decision, but in May 2025, Judge Sir Geoffrey Vos determined that while Harry’s safety concerns were “powerful and moving,” his “sense of grievance” did not “translate into a legal argument.”
A 40-page risk assessment submitted to the Home Office indicated the duke faces an “elevated risk” in Britain, where five of six known terror plots against him originated.
The document identified “lone actors” and “grassroots” terrorists as the primary threat, noting that at least four individuals behind previous plots are believed to be out of prison with unknown whereabouts.