Meghan not expected to appear at UK events during Harry visit

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Meghan not expected to appear at UK events during Harry visitImage source, ReutersImage caption, The Duchess of Sussex will not be appearing at any of the Invictus eventsBySean Coughlan Royal correspondentPublished9 July 2026, 20:40 BSTUpdated 24 minutes agoThe Duchess of Sussex is no longer expected to appear at any of the public events this week, during her husband the Duke of Sussex's visit to the UK, it has been confirmed. It had already been announced that Meghan and their children Archie and Lilibet would not join Prince Harry at the start of the week, after a row over security. But there had still been speculation that she would attend later engagements, including an event at the NEC in Birmingham on Friday for the Invictus Games.

It is not known whether Meghan will be in the UK for any private visits, following reports she may still be coming with the children. Meghan's representatives would not confirm whether she was planning to come to the UK this week or if she was already in the country. This is another moment of uncertainty in a chaotic visit, which was intended to promote the Invictus Games for injured service personnel, which is going to be hosted in Birmingham next year.

The Details

Two weeks ago, details of the trip were published, including that Meghan would be appearing at events in London and Birmingham, which would have been her first appearance in the UK since 2022. But after a dispute over levels of security, Meghan pulled out of events in London - although the possibility of her appearing at events later in the week in Birmingham was left open. That door now seems to have been closed.

Her representatives are not commenting on any private meetings, which could still mean that King Charles could be meeting his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, along with Prince Harry and Meghan. Image source, ReutersImage caption, Harry visited children in a hospital in Birmingham on Thursday where he was applauded by staffEven before the week of events had officially started there was confusion over whether Prince Harry was going to stay in Buckingham Palace. His team had announced that he had accepted an invitation to stay at the Palace, but that was then swiftly rejected by the Palace, who said Prince Harry had already been told that he would not be allowed to stay there.

The first engagement on Tuesday, promoting the Invictus Games, had then been overshadowed by the result of Prince Harry's court case against Associated Newspapers, where he lost on all his claims of unlawful information gathering. A subsequent event in London was then closed to the press. But on Thursday, the visit had seemed to be getting back on track, when Prince Harry had received a warm welcome at a children's hospital in Birmingham.

It now seems that the remaining engagements in Birmingham and Midlands will be carried out on his own.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.