Prince Harry reconsiders options for Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to see King Charles III

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been forced to reconsider their options after security concerns were raised ahead of their visit to the UK.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are scheduled to land on British soil early next week for their first trip as a couple in over four years.

The staycation is purposed to celebrate this year's Invictus Games, which will kick off in Birmingham in July.

The pair will also be bringing their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, along for what will be the latter's first visit to her father's home country since 2022, having been born and raised in Montecito, California.

Lilibet, five, is also yet to meet her grandfather, King Charles III, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton and her cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The couple are expected to land in the UK early next week (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

As a reminder, Harry and Meghan resigned from their royal responsibilities and left the UK for the United States in 2020, citing severe mistreatment by several senior members of the monarchy.

Despite this, 41-year-old Harry has insisted on several occasions that he's keen to reconcile with his family - especially his father - leaving royal fans with high hopes for his and Meghan's 2026 trip.

Tragically, however, this hope has already been somewhat tainted by concern for the wellbeing of the couple's children after the UK Government turned down their request for taxpayer-funded police protection outside of royal residences.

According to an insider, Harry and Meghan have been left 'distraught' by the news, and won't see their kids 'chased by paparazzi wherever they go from the moment they step off the plane'.

Harry previously expressed a desire to reconcile with his family (Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

They told The Guardian: "Their plans to see family, friends and visit various charitable causes close to the duke’s heart have been pulled out from under their feet at the 11th hour."

Of Harry, they continued: "He’s looking at every option to try and get the family here safely and keep them safe when they’re on the ground. If he can find a way to do that, he will.

"The hope is they can meet their grandfather, 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. He won’t put his children through that."

The news comes a year after Harry lost his legal battle with the Home Office for police protection during UK visits, despite arguing it wasn't safe for his family to return home without it.

The Sussex's children haven't visited the UK since 2022 (Instagram/@meghan)

He later told the BBC he couldn't 'see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point'.

"The things that they're going to miss is, well, everything," Harry added of his little ones. "I miss the UK, I miss parts of the UK, of course I do. I think that it's really quite sad that I won't be able to show my children my homeland."