Prince Harry will not bring Meghan and children on London trip amid dispute over security arrangements

London (CNN) — The Duchess of Sussex, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will not be accompanying Prince Harry when he visits London next week, as a disagreement over his family’s police protection continues.

It is, however, still possible that the Sussex family could join him at engagements elsewhere in the United Kingdom. CNN understands there hasn’t been a decision on the family joining the duke during other parts of the visit which take place beyond the British capital.

Prince Harry had hoped to bring Meghan and their two young children on the five-day visit but had concerns over his family’s safety as they were not offered taxpayer-funded protection while in the UK.

Harry, who is fifth in line to the British throne, had submitted a formal bid for police security during the trip but his team were reportedly told that protection would not be offered.

In recent days, Harry, 41, was said to be exploring all avenues to safely bring his family across the Atlantic, with his spokesperson telling CNN on Friday that the duke’s security detail were still looking at options to make the visit work in some form.

Next week’s visit will see Prince Harry mark the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham, the sporting competition for military personnel injured in service that he founded over a decade ago. He will also have other engagements in the Midlands relating to other causes he supports.

There has also been confusion in the past week over where the family would stay. CNN had been told the Sussex family would stay in both private accommodation and at a royal residence. However, Buckingham Palace later clarified that the royal household hadn’t heard if the Sussexes had accepted King Charles’s invitation.

Police protection would automatically be provided while staying on a royal estate.

Prince Harry has been embroiled in a years-long battle with the UK government after his security was downgraded by its Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) when he and Meghan stepped down from his royal duties in 2020. Last year, he lost a challenge against the Home Office in the UK Court of Appeal on the decision. He has since been waiting on a review by RAVEC’s Risk Management Board, which has not yet taken place.

“Prince Harry’s programme in the United Kingdom includes both public and private engagements across the country. Safe accommodation is only one element of an effective protective security plan because risk follows the person, not the place,” his spokesperson said earlier this week.

“The issue has never been accommodation. The issue is whether appropriate and proportionate protective security is being provided throughout the entirety of the visit. The independent Risk Management Board that RAVEC itself decided was necessary last November has still not taken place.”

The spokesperson added, “It is therefore difficult to understand how the proportionality of the current arrangements can credibly be maintained without that independent assessment.”

A UK government spokesperson has previously described its protective security system as “rigorous and proportionate.

“It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security,” the spokesperson continued.

Harry and Meghan, who live in California, left Britain in 2020 after stepping back from royal life, and have since been involved in a long-running, public falling out with his family.

The couple cited a toxic cocktail of tabloid intrusion, entrenched racism in British institutions, online abuse and complex family dynamics, alongside a desire for financial independence as reasons for leaving, in televised interviews and a memoir.

There has been hope that the trip next week would allow for King Charles to reunite with his young grandchildren. Charles last saw the whole family while they were in the UK four years ago for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

In the years since, Harry has made several quick trips back to the UK, most notably attending his grandmother’s funeral in 2022 and his father’s coronation in 2023.

The British monarch recently traveled to the United States for a state visit to Washington DC, New York and Virginia but a busy schedule didn’t allow for the King to see his son on the west coast.

Charles and Harry were, however, able to reunite for the first time in 19 months last September when the pair had tea at Clarence House in London. The face-to-face meeting came as the King underwent treatment for cancer, and triggered speculation that the royal family’s long-running rift might be coming to an end. The pair have reportedly been in contact since, though Harry still appears to be estranged from his brother Prince William.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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