Meghan Markle Warned Against Staying Away From the UK During Invictus: 'Don't Hide Away'
Meghan Markle staying away from the UK again this year could risk looking like she is ‘hiding,’ a royal expert has warned. Rumor mills are abuzz about whether she will join Prince Harry for a major Invictus-related appearance on British soil this Summer. With expectations rising around her public support for Harry’s signature project, her absence would be closely scrutinized and could send an unintended message.
Attention is focused on a widely reported one year count down event for the Invictus Games 2027, which will be hosted in Birmingham. While the Games are still more than a year away, the countdown event is believed to be scheduled for this Summer and is thought to be on Harry’s agenda. The Duke is expected to attend, leaving royal observers hoping that Markle would also mark her first return to the UK in 4 years, since attending Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022.
While the Duchess’s attendance is yet to be confirmed, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has cautioned that staying away could have negative repercussions. As per The Mirror, he stressed, “I don’t think the King will be involved in anything to do with the Games this Summer, but I do think it’s a real possibility that he will see Harry and his children, and that probably means seeing Meghan too.” Fitzwilliams also pointed out that, “It would be unthinkable for Meghan not to appear at Invictus because it would look like she was hiding away, and she will stand by Harry no matter what.”
The expectation that Markles should attend is shaped by her track record of supporting Harry at Invictus events all around the world. The Duchess usually accompanies her husband to competitions and related engagements, regardless of location. By contrast, Harry’s visits back to the UK in recent years have all been solo trips. His wife has remained at the couple’s Montecito home in California with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. This pattern has fueled ongoing debate about security and logistics rather than a lack of commitment.
That debate may soon shift, as a Home Office review into Harry’s security engagements is currently underway and expected to conclude within the next few weeks. If greenlit, it could lead to the restoration of 24-hour police protection for the Prince, potentially making it, in Harry’s view, safer for his wife and children to travel with him.
The issue has also drawn strong commentary from former senior Royal Protection Officer Ken Wharfe, who oversaw protection for Princess Diana, Prince William, and Harry in the past. According to HELLO! Wharfe said it would now be 'wrong' not to provide full protection, stating, “Given where we sit politically at the moment, and the publicity over the past few years, plus the fact his father is not in the best of health, it would be wrong not to give him full Scotland Yard protection. The fall-out would be huge if anything were to go wrong.”