Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Face Fresh Accusations Over Claims Involving Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet

Harry and Meghan accused of using Archie and Lilibet to put pressure on Charles

The couple are reported to be reconsidering bringing their children due to a lack of taxpayer-funded police protection.

The visit will be the first time the King has seen his grandchildren in person in four years (Image: Getty)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of using their children to put pressure on the King to provide them with security, it has been claimed. The couple are set to visit the UK next month with their two children to mark the one-year countdown to Harry’s Invictus Games.

The visit will be the first time Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, have seen their grandfather the King in person since 2022 and the family are believed to have accepted an offer to stay on the royal estate. However, it’s reported that Harry’s request for taxpayer-funded police protection has recently been denied, prompting the Sussexes to reconsider bringing the children on the trip.

Harry has been involved in a long running legal battle over security (Image: Getty)

Speaking on the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast, Royal Editor Richard Eden suggested that the couple could be using the King’s desire to see his grandchildren to pressure the state into reversing the decision.

He said: “To me this seems a bit of a trap frankly. So let’s be clear of what’s happening, Harry and Megan are saying, “We will stay at a royal residence, but only if each time we leave with our children, we’re guaranteed security.”

“So, last time Harry was here last September, for example, he was given police protection when he carried out an engagement. On this occasion, they’ve got lots of different things they want to do, but they’re saying unless that’s guaranteed, we’re not going to stay with you.

“So to me this feels like a sort of trap because if they get the king in this position or the government in this position where they’re guaranteed then in future they can say this is what we expect every time and indeed if we get it in Britain we should get that in America as well.

Eden added: “I’ve heard that they still haven’t had the assurances that they want in terms of security. So it’s not clear whether they will bring their children or not. So it does seem genuinely that they’re using the children, you know, sort of to put pressure on the king.”

Harry has faced a protracted legal battle with the Home Office over the security arrangements for him and his family when in the UK after his level of protection changed when he stepped down as a working royal in 2020.

Security worries for his family have been cited by the duke as a reason he could not bring them to the UK but it appears his concerns have been mitigated, with reports claiming the Sussexes were given assurances.

But sources have stressed all matters of security are issues for the Home Office to decide and the King does not play a role in the process and has not made any private undertakings.

CRE: https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/2223365/harry-meghan-archie-lilibet-charles