Meghan Markle talking on stage

Meghan Markle could return to the UK this summer (Image: Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Fortune Media)

Meghan Markle has been dealt a damning blow this week after rumours that the Duchess could return to the UK this summer. It has been widely reported that Meghan, 44, could accompany Prince Harry to Birmingham in July for the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games.

However, while this has delighted the Duchess’s fans, not everyone in the UK seems to be excited. Here at The Express, we launched a poll just after 8.30am on Monday and asked our readers whether Meghan Markle should visit the UK this year with her husband, Prince Harry, 41.

The results are very clear, with 10,176 people voting against her returning.

 

Meanwhile, 191 people voted yes, and 57 said they are not sure.

While it is rumoured that Meghan will step foot in the UK, it is believed this will be dependent on the outcome of Prince Harry’s security review.

This is because Harry, who lost his 24-hour police protection in the UK in 2020 after quitting royal life and moving to the US, has said before that he feels the UK is too unsafe for his family.

Therefore, without improved security, it is unlikely he will bring Meghan to the UK.

Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle was last in the UK for the late Queen’s funeral in 2022 (Image: Karwai Tang/WireImage)

While Express readers don’t seem keen on the Duchess returning to Harry’s home country, which would mark her first return to the UK since 2022, a PR expert also warned that it may not help with Meghan’s brand image.

Speaking to the Mirror, PR expert Mayah Riaz said: “Her commercial power has always been strongest in the US, where the royal association already works as shorthand for global status.

“American audiences do not need to see her on British soil to be reminded she married into the Royal Family. That story is already baked into her brand. A UK visit would not automatically equal positive brand lift. In fact, I believe it would be high risk, high noise.

“The UK media landscape is far less forgiving, and any return would be dissected frame by frame. For Meghan, a visit would likely reignite old narratives rather than create new ones. From a PR standpoint, that is rarely a smart trade.”