Meghan Markle May Not Return to the U.K. With Prince Harry This Summer & Here’s Why

It’s possible Meghan Markle won’t return to the UK with Prince Harry this summer, after all. According to sources with the Daily Mail, the Duchess of Sussex isn’t expected to join her husband due to both “personal and practical” reasons.

Plans for Meghan and Harry’s next visit to the U.K. have remained unclear for some time now due to the ongoing health crisis, but that doesn’t mean that preparations for a royal family reunion have completed halted. Discussions over Queen Elizabeth’s 95th birthday and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh’s 100th birthday have taken form in recent weeks—as well as talks about Prince William and Harry’s meeting for the unveiling of Princess Diana’s statue in July. But while the Duke of Sussex, 36, is reportedly hoping to make his way to London for all of these events and more, some sources believe that his wife Meghan, 39, will not be joining him.

According to a report by the Daily Mail on Saturday, January 30, the Duchess of Sussex is in no way trying to “snub” the royal family for not visiting—rather, some officials believe that her return to the U.K. would just pose a few too many problems and is better off being postponed. Most of this hesitation comes down to logistics over travel and caring for her and Harry’s 1-year-old son, Archie; but some sources think there is also an element of avoiding “drama” in the press.

“It should be strongly stressed that there is still an element of uncertainty about this,” one source said, referring to the ongoing health crisis, “but the understanding is the duke is more than likely to come back on his own. This is a personal and practical decision by the couple, but it would certainly help officials navigate what is likely to be a fairly tricky situation.”

A separate source explained to the paper that Meghan and Harry’s next visit “comes with the need for a certain amount of diplomacy,” especially after the apparent Fab Four feud at 2020’s Commonwealth Service (a.k.a the final event Meghan and Harry attended before officially stepping down from their roles as senior royals in April 2020).

“Harry wants to come back for The Queen and Prince Philip’s big birthdays,” a source told the Mail. “But it looks likely it will be just him. If Meghan comes back, the feeling is that it would overshadow the occasion. People would only be looking at the ‘drama’ of it all. Of course she would be welcome, but a decision not to come would postpone that headache for a while at least.”