Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s imminent trip to the UK is “already a disaster no matter what happens”, according to a royal expert. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will reportedly travel to Britain with their children this month, despite concerns over how they will be protected and confusion over where they will stay.
The back-and-forth briefing on details around the trip and prolonged coverage has already doomed their prospective reunion with the Royal Family, however, according to commentator and journalist Bronte Coy. Ms Coy told The Sun’s Royal Exclusive podcast: “Circus is the perfect word for it … It is staggering to me that when there has clearly been this reputational rehab pushed in Britain, and everything was laid out a couple weeks ago … this has come apart too quickly and in such a catastrophic way.”
She added: “No matter what happens now, and I still believe they are coming over … it is a disaster. Harry has played so clearly into the hands of his biggest critics. All they are ever accused of is emotional blackmail, having a circus around them [and] that everything has to be very dramatic, that it’s a soap opera … whether you believe that or not, that is exactly what it looks like.”
Harry had planned to be joined by Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet on his five-day trip to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham.
But the duke began rethinking the move last week, when he learned that a review of his family’s UK-based security by the Risk Management Board (RMB) had yet to take place.
A spokesperson for the Sussexes said: “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.”
Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, are not expected to attend any public events, but Meghan is scheduled to join her husband on visits to the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London and an Invictus event at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.
The trip could also reunite King Charles with his youngest grandchildren for the first time in four years, with the prince and princess last visiting Britain during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.
Charles has reportedly offered the family accommodation at a royal residence, although the Royal Household has yet to receive confirmation of acceptance.
Harry’s spokesperson added: “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.
“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. It is therefore difficult to understand how the proportionality of the current arrangements can credibly be maintained without that independent assessment.”