Prince Harry won't bring family to London when he visits UK next week, Sky News understands

Prince Harry won't be accompanied by the Duchess of Sussex and their children when he visits London next week, Sky News understands.

It is not yet known whether the family will join the duke for visits outside the capital.

Prince Harry had intended to travel with Meghan and their children, Archie and Lilibet, to attend an event marking the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham.

It has been four years since the children last saw their grandfather in person and the King has offered to put the family up at an unnamed royal residence.

There have been concerns over how they would be protected in the UK, amid reports last weekend that the prince's request for taxpayer-funded police protection had been denied.

At the time, a source said the duke could end up leaving his family at home.

"The hope is they can meet their grandfather," the source added. "But there is no way that can happen if they are chased by paparazzi wherever they go from the moment they step off the plane."

However it emerged yesterday that the prince's security team was still looking at options to make the visit viable for the whole family.

The duke last year lost a legal battle with the government over his security in the UK after it was downgraded when he stepped down as a working royal in 2020.

He is waiting for a review of the decision by Ravec, the committee that decides on protection for royalty and public figures, but found out last week this is still to take place.

Archie and Lilibet last saw the King at the late Queen's platinum jubilee celebrations in 2022. Sources stress the monarch is not involved in decisions about his son's security.

A government spokesperson previously said: "The UK government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate.

"It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security."