Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Take Archie and Lilibet To Stay at Princess Diana’s Childhood Home During U.K. Trip

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took their two children, Archie and Lilibet, to visit the childhood home of the Duke of Sussex’s late mother, Princess Diana, during their recent European vacation, it has been revealed.

Meghan, 44, shared several photos from the family’s recent trip overseas on her Instagram account, including one image that shows her daughter, Lilibet, 5, walking through the grounds of Princess Diana’s family estate, Althorp, holding what appears to be a tiny handbag and a blanket.

Harry, 41, and Archie, 7, are pictured strolling just ahead of her, both carrying what seem to be bouquets of flowers.

Another snap appears to show Meghan reclining on a sun lounger next to the pool at the estate, cuddling the family’s Beagle, Mamma Mia, who is thought to have traveled to Europe with them. Diana’s brother Charles Spencer‘s new wife, Cat Jarman, is seen in the background, along with her husband.

It’s understood that the family were invited to the property by Diana’s brother, Spencer, who still owns the estate and resides there with his new wife. According to People magazine, the Sussexes “may have visited Diana’s burial site, which is located on an island in the middle of the estate’s Oval Lake.”

Charles revealed shortly after his sister’s death that the decision had been made to lay her to rest at her childhood home, noting in a statement at the time that he wanted to ensure her “grave can be properly looked after by her family and visited in privacy by her sons,” Prince William and Prince Harry.

He later explained to the BBC: “There was such a whipped-up feeling of emotion everywhere that I was very worried about where we could safely bury her.”

Diana’s grave is not accessible to the public; however, there is another memorial on the grounds of Althorp where visitors can pay their respects to the late mother of two.

Charles has previously explained that he chose to bury Diana at the center of the ornamental lake, known as Oval Lake, in order to provide an extra “buffer” against the public.

However, he previously told People magazine that William, 44, and Harry are able to visit their mother’s burial site whenever they please, revealing: “I think it’s very important for them to be there with her.

“It is, luckily, very tranquil here, and they can come and go as they wish whenever they want. And that’s very lovely for me to know that.”

In addition to their stay at Althorp, Harry, Meghan, and their children also traveled to Portugal before their trip to the U.K. with several images showing the family enjoying the sites and sounds of the European country, including a day at the beach.

One picture also shows Harry playing in a swimming pool with his children, throwing Lilibet into the air while Archie swims behind them. It’s unclear whether this picture was taken at Althorp or another location.

The post, which was simply captioned “Summer Holiday,” presents a very positive picture of the family’s international trip—which began under a cloud of controversy and speculation over whether Harry would be joined in the U.K. by his wife and children.

It was originally reported that Harry had wanted Meghan and their kids to join him for the entirety of his U.K. visit—which was scheduled to mark the one-year countdown to the next Invictus Games—however, those plans quickly changed after he was denied taxpayer-funded security.

However, reports emerged over days before he was due to arrive that Harry would travel to London alone—with sources claiming that the royal did not feel comfortable bringing his family with him after he was denied taxpayer-funded security for the trip.

Harry has been locked in an ongoing legal battle over the removal of his taxpayer-funded security by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC)—the government body tasked with deciding who does and doesn’t meet the requirements for publicly funded security in the U.K.

Further controversy then emerged on the morning of Harry’s arrival in London, when a spokesperson for the father of two confirmed that Buckingham Palace had “withdrawn” an offer for him to stay at the historic property during his time in the city.

It’s understood that King Charles had extended an invitation to his son to stay at the palace—which is located in London—during his time in the country’s capital, but that the offer had been accepted too late.

The BBC reported that the Sussexes’ team had initially declined the invitation, only to then U-turn on that decision late in the day on Saturday, July 4. However, by that point, Buckingham Palace had determined that it was too late to arrange staffing—a decision that Harry’s spokesperson described as “disappointing.”

The spokesperson stated that Harry had spent much of the previous week trying to secure privately funded security—and had only been able to accept the invitation when those arrangements had been confirmed.

“I am aware of multiple briefings from Buckingham Palace last week suggesting that the Duke had not accepted the offer of accommodation at a Royal Residence,” they said.

“Following RAVEC’s decision not to provide security for his family, the Duke spent last week making alternative security arrangements. Once those arrangements were in place, he was able to formally accept the offer of accommodation for himself over the weekend.”

It is also understood that Harry’s lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, the parent company of the Daily Mail, played a role in King Charles’ decision to revoke the invitation. A decision in the case was delivered by the court on Tuesday, July 7, and there were concerns that the monarch would be seen to be picking sides if his son addressed the decision publicly while staying at Buckingham Palace.

However, Harry’s spokesperson suggested that Buckingham Palace was aware that this decision would be released several days before they withdrew the offer.

“It is therefore disappointing that the offer has now been withdrawn, with Tuesday’s judgment in the Associated Newspapers Limited case cited as the reason,” the continued.

“Buckingham Palace has, however, been aware of that judgment since last Thursday. It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment.”

Meghan and the children did end up joining Harry in the U.K., however they are not thought to have spent time in London, instead meeting King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, at Highgrove House, the monarch’s private country residence. It marked the first time that Charles has seen his grandchildren since 2022.

It is thought that the Sussexes have since returned to their home in California—where they have been living since 2020, when they quit their roles as working members of the royal family. Soon after, they purchased a sprawling Mediterranean-style mansion in Montecito for $14.65 million, and it has served as their primary residence ever since.