Meghan Markle broke her social media silence posting a rare black-and-white photo of Prince Harry walking hand-in-hand with their children—Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3—at their Montecito home. The photo, shared on Instagram, showed the trio from behind, with Lilibet sitting atop Harry’s shoulders. Markle, 43, included no caption.
The image came shortly after Prince Harry lost his legal appeal to regain taxpayer-funded police protection in the United Kingdom.
“Devastated” by security ruling
The Duke of Sussex, 40, said he was “devastated” by the UK High Court’s decision to deny him publicly funded security during visits to his homeland. In an interview with the BBC, Harry expressed frustration and concern for his family’s safety.
“I’m sure there are some people out there, probably most likely the people that wish me harm, [who] consider this a huge win,” Harry said. “Everybody knew that they were putting us at risk in 2020 and they hoped that me knowing that risk would force us to come back.”
“But then when you realize that didn’t work, do you not want to keep us safe?” he asked. “Whether you’re the government, the Royal Household, whether you’re my dad, my family – despite all of our differences, do you not want to just ensure our safety?”
No plans to return to the UK
Following the ruling, Harry revealed he would likely never bring Meghan or their children back to the UK. Markle has not visited the country since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.
“I miss the UK, I miss parts of the UK, of course I do,” Harry said. “I think that it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”
The Sussexes stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California, prompting UK authorities to revoke their access to government-funded protection.
Strained ties with the Royal family
The fallout over security has reportedly deepened Harry’s estrangement from his family, especially his father, King Charles III, who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer.
“Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has,” Harry said. “He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff. But it would be nice to reconcile.”
The latest ruling reaffirms that decision, dealing another blow to Harry’s hopes of reconnecting safely with his past.
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