Here’s Why Prince Archie And Princess Lilibet Never Travel To The UK

Pool/Getty Images
There’s no question that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are paying the price for the ongoing royal feud. Archie and Lilibet lack a close relationship with their relatives, which is partly due to distance. The children don’t travel to the United Kingdom where much of their extended family resides, and King Charles III is reportedly unhappy about this. However, the reason why the Sussex kids never travel across the pond may actually be mostly the fault of Charles himself.

Harry and Meghan first moved to California in 2020. Frogmore Cottage, one of the royal family’s residences in the U.K., was still technically theirs until 2023 when Charles evicted the couple from the residence. According to The Sun, the royals told Harry that the house was no longer his just a day after his memoir “Spare” was released. Furthermore, it was reported that Queen Camilla and William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales were in full support of this decision. While it seems likely that this choice was made as a result of the controversial content of Harry’s memoir, the family surely knew how much more difficult it would be for Harry and Meghan to bring their children to the U.K. without their own place to stay. A source told Us Weekly, “If the king wanted to see [Archie and Lilibet] so badly, he could make it easier to do so.”

The Frogmore Cottage drama impacts Charles’ relationship with his grandkids

Max Mumby/indigo/Getty Images
The source told Us Weekly that Charles’ relationship with Archie and Lilibet has “left a massive hole in his heart that he’s only spent a few fleeting days with them and then video calls on important days.” He reportedly finds this particularly upsetting considering his close relationship with the children of Prince William and Kate Middleton. However, it is Charles’ choices that have caused the Sussexes to have no residence in the United Kingdom.

According to documents filed in April 2024, Harry officially calls the United States his country of residence, per Express. Notably, he listed June 29, 2023, as the day he changed residences. “It’s very interesting that Prince Harry chose to date his official U.S. residency on the day he was kicked out of Frogmore Cottage,” royal commentator Esther Krakue told Sky News Australia. “I think he was trying to send a message and it was very symbolic and I think the biggest message here is that it represents everything that could have been and is not and has been lost. Potentially it represents what actually should never have been.”

Royal author Tom Quinn told The Mirror that “Harry and Meghan imagined Frogmore would always be there for them even if they came back to the U.K. for just a few weeks each year and even if they were no longer working royals.” Surely adding insult to injury for the Sussexes, Frogmore Cottage will reportedly now be rented out.

Security is an issue for Harry and Meghan

Karwai Tang/Getty Images
Lacking a place to stay in the United Kingdom isn’t the only reason Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet don’t visit their extended family. The royals took something else from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle that makes them uncomfortable bringing their kids to the U.K. — security. “Meghan has said she’s only prepared to return to England if she and Harry have a place of their own and the security they both feel is essential,” Tom Quinn told The Mirror. Should these issues be dealt with, Quinn says “they will certainly want to bring their children to the U.K., but it’s going to take a lot of diplomacy to get to the point where Archie and Lili are able to develop a genuine and warm relationship with their cousins.”

Upon leaving the U.K. in 2020, Harry’s security was downgraded. Royal correspondent Cameron Walker told The Mirror that Harry “doesn’t feel his family is safe when they’re in the U.K. because they do not have police protection officers with the Metropolitan Police with him. So perhaps that is the main reason why [Harry] isn’t bringing Meghan and Archie and Lilibet over to the U.K. because … he can’t guarantee their safety.” Since Archie and Lilibet’s safety is a top priority for Harry and Meghan, inadequate security surely affects their desire to visit Harry’s family. Consequently, if the feud could be put aside, all roadblocks could be cleared for a long overdue royal family reunion.