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King Charles could offer Harry and Meghan the run of his 'ultra-secure' Highgrove House as an ‘olive branch’ during their likely joint visit to the UK later this year, it was claimed today.
The Sussexes are also expected to ask Harry’s father to open the Invictus Games in Birmingham in 2027 if relations continue to ‘thaw’ between them.
The Duchess of Sussex, 44, will reportedly join her husband at the ‘One Year To Go’ event at the National Exhibition Centre in July, amid ongoing discussions over whether the couple will be granted taxpayer-funded police protection while in the UK.
‘It seems likely that this will happen. Meghan’s been to the equivalent countdown events elsewhere so it would look strange if she didn’t attend the Birmingham one’, a royal insider has said.
‘There’s a good chance that they will stay at a royal residence during a UK stay that includes Invictus events if the current thaw in family relations continues'.
The insider added: ‘I don’t believe Harry has asked his father to open the Invictus Games in Birmingham yet but it seems likely he will and it will be difficult for the King to refuse'.
Charles and Prince William helped Harry launch his sporting tournament for wounded soldiers in 2014.
The Daily Mail's royal source said that Highgrove, Charles’ beloved home in the Cotswolds, ‘is a relatively short distance down the M5 from Birmingham’ – ideal for a dash there for the Sussexes this summer.
The 'ultra-secure' 18th century property also has a steel-lined panic room, is covered by a no-fly zone and also is surrounded by armed police guarding the King 24/7, forming a 'protection bubble' for Harry, Meghan and their children, if Archie and Lilibet come too.
But the insider added that while Highgrove would be ideal for July: ‘The Sussexes need to stay in a hotel in the city during the Games in 2027’.
Prince Harry could invite his father King Charles to open his Invictus Games in the UK next year (pictured: the pair with Meghan Markle, left, in 2018) - and the monarch could offer to put a roof over their head this summer
Highgrove is just over an hour from the NEC in Birmingham, where Invictus will take place as well as the One Year To Go event on July 10. The house is totally secure - even having a steel-lined panic room
Another source warned that his brother William and sister-in-law Kate will be watching developments carefully – especially if the Sussexes are offered a place to stay at a royal property.
‘You’ve got to remember the Wales’s are running the show now’, one well-placed source said, adding they believe that Charles would be wary of offering them Highgrove in case it upset William.
It came days after it was claimed that Harry is confident he has won his fight for armed police protection when he visits the UK.
A ruling in his favour by the royal and VIP executive committee (Ravec) is said to be 'nailed on'.
An incident involving a stalker, who had made online threats, getting near Harry is said to be central to the U-turn.
But the royal source said: ‘I think there is a wariness in Whitehall and at the palace over concerns that someone in the Sussex camp is using this to put pressure on Ravec to bring back automatic police protection for Harry and Meghan.
‘I think the Sussexes do have a reasonable case to say that when they come back to Britain to see the Royal Family or to promote their charitable interests then they should receive police protection. They can make it easier and cheaper by staying at royal residences within the security perimeter.
‘But what happens if they are over here to make money? Should the British taxpayer stump up for that?’
Meghan’s return to the UK for the first time since 2022 is on the cards, they said.
Harry and Meghan have booked out floors at luxury hotels for them, their team and security detail at previous Invictus Games.
A senior security source with decades of experience in royal and VIP protection said that he also believes the Sussexes’ are ‘nailed on’ to get taxpayer-funded security again.
Birmingham’s famous NEC will host the Games. There are a number of suitable luxury hotels near the arena, inside Birmingham as well as in neighbouring Warwickshire and Shropshire.
Harry and Meghan walk hand in hand at the Hillcrest Recreation Centre at the Invictus Games on February 10 2025
Meghan is understood to be hoping to attend a one-year countdown event for the Invictus Games on July 10, ahead of the 2027 Games in Birmingham.
The sporting event was founded by Harry to support wounded and injured service personnel and veterans.
She has previously joined Harry at similar one-year countdown ceremonies in Canada and Germany, and sources say she is keen to do the same in the UK – provided safety concerns are resolved.
Although official details of the Birmingham countdown celebrations have yet to be confirmed, ceremonial appearances involving the Sussexes are expected.
A source told the Sun: 'Security is always going to be the deciding factor in this.'
Harry's security arrangements are currently being reviewed by Ravec, a committee made up of police, royal and government experts.
The Duke has repeatedly said he does not believe it is safe to bring his family to the UK without adequate protection.
Plans are reportedly well advanced for Meghan to travel to the Midlands to support the event, but only if the review concludes in their favour.
A decision is expected later this month.
It remains unclear whether the couple's children would accompany them. Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, have not been in the UK since Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022, when there were scattered boos as Meghan arrived for a service at St Paul's Cathedral.
The Invictus Games Foundation is preparing a series of promotional events in Birmingham this summer, with invitations already sent to representatives of countries due to compete.
Meghan has previously been a regular presence at such events. In February 2024, she joined Harry in Vancouver and Whistler to promote the following year's Games, meeting competitors and attending training sessions, before returning for the Games themselves 12 months later.
She also attended the one-year countdown ceremony in Düsseldorf in September 2022, just days before the death of Queen Elizabeth II, while the couple were staying in Windsor.
Meghan later spoke about the strain of time away from her children during an episode of her Netflix show With Love, Meghan.
She said: 'The longest I went without being around our kids was almost three weeks. I was not well.'
She did not attend the one-year countdown event for the 2019 Hague Games as it came shortly after Archie's birth, but she did attend the Games themselves.
Meghan was also present at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto and travelled with Harry to Nigeria in 2024 in support of the foundation.
Meanwhile, Harry, 41, is said to be hoping his father, King Charles, will open the Birmingham Invictus Games in July 2027, although invitations have not yet been issued.
Harry lost his automatic right to armed police protection when he stepped back as a working royal in 2020 and moved to California.
He later lost a High Court challenge against the decision last May, branding it a 'good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up'.
Sources close to the Sussexes have reportedly suggested it is 'nailed on' that the Government will now grant him armed guards following the latest review.
A spokesperson for the Sussexes have been approached for comment.
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