Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly been invited to spend Christmas in the UK with rarely-seen family members – but a royal expert has warned the move would be ‘odd’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might be planning a festive return to British soil this year, with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in tow.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are said to have received an invite from Harry’s uncle, Charles, Earl Spencer, to join the Christmas celebrations at Althorp House. If Harry and Meghan say yes to the invite, it would be Meghan’s first major trip back to the UK since she was here for the late Queen’s funeral in 2022. Despite the invitation, it’s not a sure bet that the Sussexes will choose to spend their Christmas in the UK, as they haven’t celebrated the holiday here since 2018.

Harry, who is still in a legal battle with the UK Government over security funding, having expressed concerns about safety for himself, Meghan, and their children on British turf.

And now Jennie Bond, the ex-BBC royal correspondent, has explained that if Harry and Meghan do take up the Spencer family’s reported Christmas invite, it would go against everything Harry has been saying about his security worries in the UK. She reckons it would be quite “odd” for the Sussexes to head over to the UK for the holidays, especially with Harry’s legal fight still unresolved.

In an exclusive chat with OK!, Jennie said: “Well, if an offer has indeed been made – which seems quite logical – and if they accepted, it would fly in the face of everything Harry has said about security. He has repeatedly said he believes it’s unsafe to bring his wife and children to the UK without a guarantee of official security.”

“That situation is extremely unlikely to change at all, and certainly not before Christmas. So I think it would be very odd indeed if the family suddenly fetched up here. It would surely mean that Harry was going to abandon his legal appeal against the ruling? Therefore, I do not think that we shall be seeing them in the UK for Christmas, or indeed anytime soon.”

The latest news suggests Prince Harry made a discreet visit to Althorp House, the Spencer family’s ancestral seat and his mother’s final resting place, during his recent UK trip. The Duke reportedly stayed at the Northamptonshire estate while attending Lord Robert Fellowes’ memorial service in Norfolk on 28 August.

Despite both Prince Harry and Prince William being present at the funeral, sources claim they kept their distance, choosing to sit separately at the back of St Mary’s Church.