Prince Harry is just days away from returning to his home country, with the Duke of Sussex set to step foot in the UK on Monday for the 2025 Wellchild Awards – a charity he is a patron of. However, while Harry, 40, will be busy packing his suitcase this weekend ahead of the trip, this is not likely to be the case for his wife Meghan Markle, 44.
While it is believed one of the reasons Meghan last travelled to the UK in 2022 is to ensure she is at the couple’s Montecito home with children Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, one royal expert believes her absence from Britain’s soil is also due to another factor. Although it has not been confirmed that Meghan will not be by Harry’s side on Monday, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams believes it is unlikely she will attend as a result of her unpopularity in Britain, as well as the fact she, he said, was “relieved” to leave the country in 2020 when they stepped back from royal duty.
Speaking to the Express, Mr Fitzwilliams said: “Meghan almost certainly will not come to Britain with Prince Harry next week.
“It has been clear for years that she was only too relieved to leave Britain as life as a senior working royal proved highly stressful and unsatisfactory for her.
“Since she left, the Sussexes have ruthlessly monetised their royal connections and have done enormous harm to the Royal Family.
“The latest YouGov poll shows her popularity is 21% and those against are 59%.”
He also said that it would be “insane” for the duchess to attend, especially as Harry may reunite with his father King Charles for the first time in months.
If it goes ahead, this will be the first time Harry and the monarch will have seen each other since February 2024, with the pair believed to have had a turbulent relationship recently.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: “Given the sensitivity over a possible meeting with the King and what that might lead to, it would be nothing short of insane for her (Meghan) to accompany Harry.”