Mystery over whether Meghan Markle will come to UK with Prince Harry for poignant event

Later this month, Prince Harry will be returning to the UK - but whether or not he'll be making the journey alone remains a mystery.

The Duke of Sussex, who has made a new life for himself in the Californian coastal town of Montecito, is preparing to attend the 2024 WellChild awards in London on September 30. Last week, Harry, who is a patron of WellChild, confirmed he would be in attendance at the annual awards ceremony, where he will give a speech.

In a statement, the Duke, who will also be presenting an award at the ceremony, shared: "I am once again honoured to attend this year's WellChild Awards celebrating the remarkable courage and achievements of children living with complex medical needs.

"These incredible young people, along with the dedicated caregivers, nurses, and professionals who tirelessly support them, inspire us all. It is a true privilege to recognise such extraordinary individuals."

WellChild, which supports seriously ill children, has also released a statement confirming Harry's attendance, but there's been no mention of Meghan...

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Taking to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the charity said: "We are delighted to announce that WellChild Patron Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, will attend the 2024 WellChild Awards, in association with @GSK, on 30th Sept. The Duke will meet our inspirational winners at a pre-ceremony reception before joining them in the main event."

While the Duchess of Sussex hasn't returned to the UK since the late Queen Elizabeth's state funeral back in September 2022, Harry has made a number of flying visits. Most recently, he attended the funeral of his uncle Lord Robert Fellowes, where it's understood he and his elder brother Prince William didn't talk after the service.

Back in August, Royal author and expert Tom Quinn told the Mirror that Meghan, 43, will only return to the UK under one 'major condition'. Mr Quinn said: "Meghan has said she’s only prepared to return to England if she and Harry have a place of their own and the security they both feel is essential. Meghan will never return to the UK and stay with her husband‘s relatives.

"If the couple manage to find a permanent home and sort out the security issue they will certainly want to bring their children to the UK but it’s going to take a lot of diplomacy to get to the point where Archie and Lili are able to develop a genuine and warm relationship with their cousins George, Charlotte and Louis."

Harry, 40, has previously expressed concerns over security when it comes to his young family, and, in an interview with ITV, stated that he couldn't 'bring [his] wife back to this country' due to fears over safety.

It has been speculated that Harry and Meghan could visit the UK together at Christmastime, along with children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. However, this would be with the late Princess Diana's side of the family, not the Windsors.

Harry's uncle, Charles, Earl Spencer, has reportedly invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to join the festive celebrations at Althorp House - Diana's ancestral home and final resting place. The Sussexes haven't celebrated Christmas in the UK since 2018, and former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes it's unlikely they'll accept the invitation.

In an exclusive chat with OK!, the royal expert 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."

She continued: "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."

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