The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may return to Britain to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Invictus Games as the royal family continue to grapple with health issues and private discussions about succession planning.

Harry flew home for a 24-hour visit with his father in February after the King’s cancer diagnosis, but his American wife, Meghan Markle, has not set foot in Britain since the late queen’s funeral in 2022.

The duke is in discussions to bring Meghan and children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to London, according to multiple media reports.

A service at St Paul’s cathedral in London in May would mark the milestone for the sporting competition for wounded soldiers, which Harry created in 2014.

Former BBC royal commentator Jennie Bond told OK! Magazine the couple were “nervous” about the reception Meghan might receive if she visited.

After marrying in 2018, Harry and Meghan sensationally quit the British royal family in 2020 and moved to California.

They established deals with Netflix and book publishers, and made allegations about racism within the royal family in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.

“I think that both of them would be nervous about the reception that Meghan would get in the UK. I think there is still residual affection for Harry, but I really don’t think the same can be said for his wife,” Bond said.

“Invictus Games are something both feel very passionate about, so it could be that Meghan will decide off her own bat to make a brief return to the UK.”

Harry appears in a pre-recorded video in London in February for the Sport Gives Back Awards. Photo: Getty

Harry’s next move

On February 27, Harry lost a legal challenge in the High Court against Britain’s 2020 decision to remove his police protection when he is in the country.

He had received publicly-funded security protection provided by the state before he stepped back from royal duties.

“I very much doubt that Harry would ever put pressure on Meghan to do anything she doesn’t want to – especially coming to the UK – when he himself has said he doesn’t feel his wife and children are safe here without an enhanced level of security, which has so recently been denied as an automatic right,” Bond said.

The King, Prince Harry and Princess Anne at the late queen’s memorial service. Photo: Getty

Succession planning

Meanwhile, the King’s former butler of seven years (when he was the Prince of Wales), Grant Harrold, weighed in on speculation about Harry.

The royal household has been significantly diminished in recent weeks after the King suspended public-facing duties. The Princess of Wales is convalescing after planned abdominal surgery and will not return to work until after Easter.

The Queen has taken a break after 13 consecutive engagements, while the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh went on a skiing holiday in St Moritz.

This leaves the Princess Royal, the King’s only sister Anne, holding the fort.

Recent reports said Harry was open to the idea of returning in a temporary capacity if needed.

Harrold told the New York Post it was “difficult to say” whether the duke could return as a working royal: “I’ve always said if Harry did return to the UK, it is possible”.

“When I was working for the royal family, I saw how close William and Harry were. I don’t think that’s a relationship that is too far gone to be healed or fixed.”

He said Harry was still “privy to top-secret information”: “Technically, he is able to step in for the King. If he wasn’t still Counsellor of State, then that would be a very different matter”.

“While Harry might not be next in line to the throne, he’s not that far down the line of succession, so his importance to the royal family shouldn’t be overlooked,” Harrold said.