One senior royal 'plans to avoid Harry and Meghan' during UK visit
Royal Family LIVE: One senior royal 'plans to avoid Harry and Meghan' during UK visit
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to return to the UK next month for their first visit together with their children in four years.
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Add us as preferred source Comments live By Laura Zilincanova, Jasmine Carey, Royal Reporter, Sophia Papamavroudi 15:14, Fri, Jun 26, 2026 Updated: 15:14, Fri, Jun 26, 2026 
As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expected to return to the UK next month for their first visit to Britain together with their children in four years, their reunion might not be smooth. While reports suggest King Charles could welcome the Sussexes and their children during the trip, it appears not everyone is preparing to roll out the red carpet.
Queen Camilla is likely planning to stay away from Harry and Meghan during their stay, with some sources claiming she intends to avoid any meetings with the couple. The reported distance comes after years of tensions between Harry and his stepmother, whom he heavily criticised in his memoir Spare and subsequent interviews. Harry has previously described Camilla as "dangerous" and accused her of leaking stories to improve her own public image, while reports earlier this year claimed he believed he was "at war" with the Queen over the ongoing family rift.
44 mins ago15:14 Sophia PapamavroudiGood afternoon
Good afternoon, I'm Sophia Papamavroudi and I'll be bringing you all the latest royal updates into this evening.
Feel free to get in touch with me as I work at [email protected]
2 hours ago13:55 Jasmine Carey'I worked for King Charles - he told me real reason he wouldn't live in Buckingham Palace'
King Charles has made the momentous decision not to live at Buckingham Palace once refurbishments are completed, but it wasn't a complete surprise to everyone.
One of his former royal staff members says he knew the King would decide to stay at Clarence House, because the monarch told him years ago, long before his mother, the Queen, died.
Costly refurbishments to the Palace, said to be costing £369million, are set to be completed next year, but Charles and Queen Camilla will remain in Clarence House. They have lived there for more than 20 years.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold worked for Charles between 2004 and 2011, and said the King told him of his preference "years ago".
Speaking exclusively to us, he said: "The King actually told me about his plans to keep Clarence House as his main residence years ago, long before he became monarch."
The Royal Family's most expensive overseas tours - £130k for William in Saudi Arabia
Prince William's official visit to Saudi Arabia has been revealed as the Royal Family's most expensive overseas trip of the past year, according to newly published royal accounts.
The Prince of Wales's three-day diplomatic mission to the Gulf in February 2026 cost £130,106, making it the costliest foreign engagement undertaken by the monarchy during the latest financial year.
Figures released in the Sovereign Grant Report show total royal travel expenditure reached £3.3 million in the 12 months to March 31, 2026, with overseas visits accounting for some of the biggest individual costs.
Here are the five most expensive royal overseas tours and international travel expenses of the year.
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3 hours ago13:11 Jasmine CareyRoyal Family tax bill in numbers - 177 helicopter journeys, £3m on trips abroad
The Royal Family's annual report on its finances has revealed how much has been spent by the Firm, including on helicopter flights and trips abroad. It lists outgoings over the 12 months to March 2026, with travel costs of at least £20,000.
Recorded are 37 separate journeys, some 13 of which involved the King, 11 of which were within the UK. Some 177 helicopter journeys were made by the Royal Family in 2025/26, costing £733,063 overall, and total spending on journeys, including trips that cost both above and below £20,000, was £3,316,024.
The Prince of Wales's official three-day visit to Saudi Arabia in February on behalf of the UK government cost a total of £130,106, including spending on two additional planning trips by staff. This was just ahead of the £126,946 in travel costs for the King and Queen’s four-day state visit to Italy in April 2025. There were four trips on the royal train to carry out engagements in Lancaster in June 2025 (a cost of £48,460), in Staffordshire in October (£34,109), in Dartmouth in December (£37,466) and Clitheroe in Lancashire in February 2026 (£40,738).
3 hours ago12:42 Jasmine CareySecret role Buckingham Palace played to save Windsor Castle
Buckingham Palace may no longer be the home of a monarch, and by the looks of it may never house a King or Queen again, but it is still a spectacular building. Every year, the Palace draws in visitors from all across the globe, who either gather outside the Palace to take pictures of one of the world’s most famous buildings or pay to see inside the Palace walls.
While tours only show state rooms and not private rooms, they prove to be very popular. The tours take place throughout the summer months, with tickets for standard admission now costing £33. However, while we are now used to the Palace doors being opened to the public in the summer, this was not always the case.
Princess Kate holds private talks with billionaire's ex-wife at Windsor Castle
The Princess of Wales had a private meeting with Bill Gates’s former wife, it has been claimed. The tech giant has always been close with the Royal Family and attended various royal engagements in the past; however, his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein resulted in the relationship getting strained.
His ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, however, who divorced him due to the “lack of honesty” among other reasons, has kept a close bond with the Firm. On Tuesday, she was reportedly invited to Windsor Castle for private talks with Princess Catherine. According to the Daily Mail, it is not known what the two women discussed during their meeting; however, it is thought their charity endeavours may have played a part.
Prince William ‘will strip Harry of 1 important job’ when he takes over from Charles
Prince William may strip Prince Harry of a key royal role when he takes over from King Charles. By law, senior members of the Royal Family can act on the monarch's behalf, carrying out most duties and functions when the sovereign is overseas or ill to the point where he or she cannot fulfil his or her official role.
Known as Counsellors of State, royals currently listed by Buckingham Palace in the role are Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Princess Beatrice and Prince Harry. Removing a royal from the list requires an Act of Parliament.
Royal Family's taxpayer funding to increase to £100m a year in new update
The Royal Family’s core funding will rise to £100m a year, almost doubling in the space of three years, it has been revealed. Under a new formula for calculating the Sovereign Grant, which pays for the Royal Family’s official duties and the upkeep of royal palaces, the Royal Household is to receive £99.9 million as a core grant in 2027-28, a jump of £48.1 million compared with the core grant of £51.8 million in 2024-25.
This figure is expected to remain constant over the next five years, even if inflation rises sharply. Royal Trustees – outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, and the King’s Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer James Chalmers, agreed on the new amount.
The significant boost from the Treasury will be used to pay for a backlog in maintenance at occupied royal palaces, strengthen cyber security at royal residences, and for the installation of energy-efficient heating systems, with £11 million set aside to replace boilers nearing the end of their life at Windsor Castle.
Royal fans issue major complaint about Meghan Markle’s latest ‘disaster’
Royal fans have issued a major complaint about Meghan Markle’s latest video. The Duchess of Sussex appeared in a new video for her lifestyle brand, As Ever, this week.
In the video, Meghan is seen carrying a basket full of produce before another clip shows her walking towards the camera, smiling. Another clip shows the duchess posing, seemingly relaxed, while holding a cup of tea. She is wearing a pair of white jeans and a blue striped shirt and sporting a bare face.
However, some fans were not impressed with the Duchess’s makeup choice.
View this post on Instagram5 hours ago10:28 Jasmine Carey
Real reason the Royal Family all hate Buckingham Palace
Members of the Royal Family may never call Buckingham Palace home again after it was announced this week that King Charles will never move into the London Palace. The Palace, one of London's most famous landmarks, has been undergoing a £369m refurbishment over the last few years.
The refurbishment, which is set to be completed by next spring, was originally undertaken with the end goal of King Charles and Queen Camilla calling the 775-room Palace their home. However, even when the works are complete, the monarch has decided this will no longer happen. Instead, the King and his wife will continue living at the nearby Clarence House home, where they have lived for over two decades.
While Buckingham Palace will remain the hub of the monarchy, with official engagements expected to be held there, the news that it will no longer be a home for the royals has sparked public debate.
The 1 thing Prince Harry needs King Charles to give him - 'can't let go'
Prince Harry appears desperate for King Charles to give him an official royal role as he "can't let go" of his past, a royal expert has suggested. Richard Kay was commenting on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's recent trip to Australia, which some experts likened to an official royal overseas visit.
He told the Daily Mail's Palace Confidential podcast: "It's very interesting, isn't it? Let's take that most recent trip to Australia... It was a commercial visit. They were flogging the clothes the Duchess was wearing and access to her."
Mr Kay said Harry's job during the trip was to remind people they were royal, with the Sussexes adding to the trip things which would be included in a "normal" royal tour, such as wreath-laying.
‘I worked with King Charles - he will make meeting Archie and Lilibet a priority’
King Charles could finally be reunited with his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, next month for the first time in four years. The monarch has hardly been able to get to know Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children, who have been living and growing up in America since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit royal life in 2020.
While a reunion date with the King has not been confirmed, it is known that Harry and Meghan will bring their children to Britain in July, where Harry will attend a one-year countdown event for the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham. It is likely that the family of four, who were last in the UK together in 2022, will also use the trip to spend some time with Harry’s royal relatives. This is set to include King Charles.
Truth behind Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's life in the US revealed
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry left their royal duties in 2020 and headed off for a life in the US. The pair had a picture-perfect wedding in 2018 when Meghan officially joined the royals, but since then, things have taken a turn. Royal expert and author of Divide and Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles, Catherine Mayer, says that since the pair married, their world has been turned upside down.
Reminiscing on their wedding day, she writes: “To revisit these scenes is to peer down the wrong end of the telescope, the optimism of that day as distant as the moon, or at least California, where the Sussex’s have lived in exile since 2020.” She adds: “Scarcely a week passes without the press quoting anonymous sources to suggest that their union is fraying.”
Prince Harry to bring his own team for UK return despite royal peace offer, claims insider
Prince Harry is reportedly hoping to reunite with King Charles when he returns to Britain with Meghan Markle and their children next month, as plans gather pace for a family visit linked to the Invictus Games.
The Duke of Sussex is said to be keen for the King to spend time with Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, who have not visited the UK for four years.
The trip is also expected to revive questions over Harry's security arrangements after his long-running dispute with the Home Office over police protection.
Although the prince reportedly spends around $3 million (£2.2 million) a year on private security in the United States, he has yet to regain automatic armed police protection while in Britain and is understood to remain in a holding pattern as his security status is reviewed.
King Charles pictured with Archie and Lilibet 'would be ultimate money shot'
King Charles could be reunited with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet next month, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex set to make their first family visit since 2022. The couple, who now live in California, are travelling back to Britain so Harry can attend the one-year countdown event for the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham.
The King has reportedly offered his son and daughter-in-law a royal residence to stay at during their visit, with the length of the trip unknown. As his grandchildren are being raised in the US, the 77-year-old has not seen Archie and Lilibet since their last visit to the UK in June 2022 – with speculation growing over whether he will hold a private meeting next month.
As well as a meeting, it has been speculated whether the public will finally get to see a picture of the King with his two youngest grandchildren – with the opportunity now deemed as the "ultimate money shot".
Prince William’s tax bill in full as Palace releases new royal finance report
Prince William has released his personal tax contributions for the first time, showing that he has paid over £20million to the HMRC since he became the Prince of Wales in September 2022. The Prince had previously been reluctant to reveal the amount of tax he paid, but he is understood to have changed his mind over the past year.
His father, the King, has also disclosed his tax payments, becoming the first monarch to do so in a bid to improve "transparency and accountability". Sources close to the King said his tax decision was "another step forwards in the evolution and modernisation" of the monarchy and reflected the Palace's acknowledgment that "there is a premium on transparency".
The Daily Express lists the full list of taxes paid for by Prince William.
Two things Meghan Markle prayed for during visit to Diana's grave
Meghan Markle previously revealed to Prince Harry that she prayed for two things whilst standing beside him at his late mother's grave in 2022. The couple, who now live in California, had travelled back to Britain during one of their two joint visits four years ago.
The couple have not travelled to the UK together since 2022, but are now just weeks away from a visit with their two children. Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, are set to travel to the UK next month for the Duke of Sussex to attend the one-year countdown event for the 2027 Invictus Games.
Whilst it remains unknown if Harry has taken Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to their late grandmother's resting place at Althorp House in Northamptonshire, the royal recalled a visit alongside Meghan in his bombshell memoir, Spare.
10 hours ago06:26 Jasmine CareyKing Charles won’t live at Buckingham Palace despite taxpayers paying for £370m refurb
King Charles will not live at Buckingham Palace after the £369m refurbishment works are completed next spring, despite previous insistence from officials that it would become his London home. The Prince and Princess of Wales also have no intention of ever moving into the 775-room home, as Forest Lodge on the Windsor Estate has been billed as their “forever home”.
Announced as part of the annual royal finance reports, which revealed that the King and Prince of Wales have paid over £50m in tax during the Carolean era, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Charles and Camilla will continue to reside at their London home, Clarence House, when the 10-year refurbishment of Monarchy HQ concludes in March 2027.
The Palace will remain the symbol of the Royal Family, home to state banquets, dinners, Garden Parties and investitures, as well as the central headquarters of the monarchy - but it will cease to be a residential home.
Good Morning
Good morning. Royal reporter Jasmine Carey here and I will be bringing you the latest royal updates today.
You can contact me at [email protected].
10 hours ago06:07 Laura ZilincanovaWelcome to our RFL blog
Good morning, welcome to our Royal Family Live blog.
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As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are gearing up for their first trip to the UK in four years, not all members of the royal family will be welcoming them with open arms.
A source close to Harry told RadarOnline: "Harry feels like he is at war with Camilla again, and he believes it could completely derail any chance of repairing things with his father."
