Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly preparing to return to the UK in July for events counting down to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham. Royal commentator Phil Dampier calls it a “big risk,” warning that public backlash and uncertain protections
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are preparing to come back to the UK with two children—Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet—and the timing is loaded with meaning. It’s been six years since they stepped away from royal duties and restarted their life in California in 2020.
What makes the reported plan especially consequential is that it would mark one of the most watched family reappearances in years. Harry and Meghan are expected to bring their children to Britain in July. with the visit coinciding with countdown events tied to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham. England.
The news first broke on June 17. when it was revealed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to travel to the UK for those countdown events related to the 2027 Invictus Games. For King Charles III. it could also offer time with his youngest grandchildren. Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. for the first time in years.
Royal commentator Phil Dampier, however, says the trip comes with significant risk—not just socially, but in what it could ultimately lead to.
Dampier’s warning starts with uncertainty. Writing in a column for The Sun. he said Harry and Meghan are stepping into “uncertain territory” as they prepare for what would be their first family visit to Britain in four years. In the same piece, Dampier pointed to security as the immediate hurdle that has to be handled before anything else.
The Sun has reported that Charles is expected to fund security arrangements for the visit, and People and other outlets have reported that the king has offered the Sussexes accommodations at a royal property during their stay in Britain.
But Dampier argued that assistance for a short stay doesn’t automatically translate into a broader, permanent shift in the couple’s relationship with the institution they left behind.
“It seems that Harry has managed to get an assurance over security, at least for a short stay,” Dampier wrote. “But that doesn’t mean he will get his royal status returned and full time protection in the long run.”
He suggested that any future security arrangements would likely be handled on a case-by-case basis rather than signaling a lasting restoration of protections.
Still, even if the logistics are solved, the emotional stakes may be harder to manage.
The biggest question Dampier raised is how the British public will react when Harry and Meghan appear again.
He pointed to comments attributed to a source close to Meghan suggesting she believes most people in Britain are fair-minded. Dampier acknowledged that view while warning it won’t erase deep resentment among others.
“They are, but many will still not forgive her for her role in taking Harry away and disrespecting the royals,” Dampier wrote.
Then he went further, predicting the atmosphere could turn uncomfortable.
“Harry and Meghan are taking a big risk because it’s quite possible some people might boo them,” Dampier wrote.
That risk matters because the visit isn’t happening in a vacuum. Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties and moved to California in 2020, and their children have not returned to Britain with both parents since Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.
The choice to return in July, tied to the Invictus Games, adds its own layer of pressure. The sporting competition for wounded. injured and sick service personnel and veterans will be held in Birmingham from July 10 through July 17. 2027. The “One Year To Go” event is expected to act as a milestone ahead of the games.
Dampier believes the Sussexes may find safer ground in the Invictus environment.
“They are on safe ground at the Invictus Games event as the servicemen and their families involved have a lot of time for them,” Dampier wrote. “But some members of the public do not, and we shall see what happens.”
For Dampier, the trip also functions like a test run for what a future relationship between the Sussexes and Britain could look like. He described next month’s travel as effectively “testing the water,” followed—of course—by the Invictus Games themselves in a year.
Harry and Meghan’s return also raises the question of who they will actually see. While Charles may welcome Harry back and spend time with Archie and Lili, Dampier suggested that one reunion remains highly unlikely.
Prince William and Kate Middleton, he believes, will not meet Harry and Meghan during this visit.
Dampier pointed to a rare joint appearance that included Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor, England, ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022—the final public outing for the one-time “Fab Four.”
From there, his projection was blunt.
“I don’t think there’s a cat in h***’s chance that they will meet William and Catherine on this trip,” Dampier wrote. “I don’t believe William will ever forgive Harry for calling a royal family member racist, and I personally don’t think they will ever make it up.”
Dampier did, though, frame a different path for Charles. He suggested Charles would welcome the opportunity to repair ties with his younger son and see grandchildren who are growing up with American accents and “just don’t know him.”
The wider tension Dampier sees isn’t only about receptions or meet-and-greets. He also argued that Harry may be edging closer to the “half in and half out” role the late Queen Elizabeth II was against.
“The biggest problem is that slowly but surely, Harry is achieving some success in having the ‘half in and half out’ role the late Queen [Elizabeth II] was so against,” Dampier wrote.
He suggested Charles may be more willing than others to tolerate such an arrangement, citing the king’s ongoing treatment for the undisclosed cancer he was diagnosed with in 2024 and his reported desire to reconnect.
But Dampier warned the issue could become more contentious later. He wrote that Charles may not want extra stress right now because of his health struggles, but that Prince William would not accept Harry trying to have both.
“Due to the king’s recent health struggles, he probably doesn’t want the stress of dealing with Harry,” Dampier wrote. “But I don’t think William will put up with Harry trying to have his cake and eat it when he is on the throne.”
In the days leading to July, the visit’s meaning may come down to a simple test: whether the Sussexes can step back into Britain’s public spotlight—and whether that spotlight, this time, stays welcoming.
Meghan Markle Prince Harry King Charles III Prince Archie Princess Lilibet Invictus Games 2027 Birmingham One Year To Go event Phil Dampier royal return UK visit security arrangements Prince William Kate Middleton