It’s becoming clearer and clearer that it will take nothing less than a serious, all-hands-on-deck emergency to get Meghan Markle back to the U.K. Even though she and Prince Harry parted ways with the Royal Family back in 2020, for a couple of years there the Duchess of Sussex made semi-regular returns to her husband’s homeland. However, these have dried up since 2022.
The last time Meghan set foot on British soil was Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral that spring — she did not even attend her father-in-law’s coronation in 2023. Sure enough, even though Harry is making his way back to England for an all-important charitable cause that’s dear to his heart this very month, Meghan is confirmed not to be joining him — for the second time in a row.
Meghan makes a loud statement by avoiding the U.K. yet again as Harry goes it alone
Just a few weeks after his last (unexpected and unfortunate) visit to his native nation, Prince Harry is returning to British shores later this September to host an awards show. On Sep. 30, the prince is due to make an appearance at the WellChild Awards. Harry serves as a patron for the charity, dedicated to the country’s seriously ill children, and has hosted its annual awards evening for the past 13 years. However, Meghan won’t be by his side on this occasion.
This is actually the second such event that Meghan has missed, as she also failed to appear at the 2023 ceremony. By making her absence a regular thing, even for a charity and cause she is no doubt highly supportive of, it certainly seems like the duchess is making a clear stance that she will not return to the U.K. unless it is absolutely necessary and unavoidable.
To be fair to Meghan, this might not even be her doing, as Harry appears to be becoming increasingly worried for his family’s safety. This summer, Harry revealed in a TV interview that his family’s move to the U.S. was partially motivated by his fears that his wife could be on the receiving end of a “knife or acid” attack. Likewise, the Sussexes’ neighbors in Montecito, California have complained that the couple are anti-social to the point of being reclusive and are rarely seen in public.
The next big opportunity for Meghan to make a comeback to Britain is the 2027 Invictus Games, the first of the Paralympics-like sports competition for veterans to be hosted in the U.K. since “Megxit” — as the British press like to dub the Sussexes’ Royal split. Harry founded the games in 2014, but Meghan has always been a huge supporter of the event, as seen when she attended the 2023 games in Düsseldorf, Germany last year. Will Harry’s fear prevent Meghan from missing all the fun in Birmingham or will the couple’s strict “Meghan =/= U.K.” rule have lessened in three years’ time?