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Whether or not the 10-year anniversary of the Invictus Games will include Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet apparently comes down to Meghan Markle. A royal commentator says the Duchess of Sussex has the final “say” on whether or not she and Prince Harry’s children will make the trip to England in May 2024. 

Meghan has the final ‘say’ on Archie and Lili going to the Invictus Games anniversary service

Will the Invictus Games anniversary in London, England, include Archie and Lili? According to a royal commentator, it’s up to Meghan. 

“Meghan has the say,” Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun. “If Meghan didn’t want to come she could never be forced to. It would be extremely unlikely Harry would come over with the kids without Meghan.”

The Duke of Sussex, 39, is scheduled to speak at the Invictus Games 10-year anniversary service on May 8, 2024. Held at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Meghan’s name on the guest list has reportedly been penciled in. 

Security is the deciding factor on whether or not Archie and Lili will make the trip

While Harry’s eager to have Meghan, Archie, and Lili join him at the Invictus service, the Sussex kids’ attendance comes down to security. 

“It’s now got to the point where Meghan doesn’t want to come to the UK with the children. She just doesn’t feel safe,” an insider told New magazine (via Express). “The situation is now about whether the family should attend with increased security or Harry should go it alone.” 

“Harry doesn’t want to keep making solo trips to the U.K.,” they continued. “He would prefer it if the entire family made regular visits to see his family and build bridges. But there is so much going on behind the scenes that it just isn’t possible at the moment.” 

“Both Harry and Meghan were planning to come to the UK, but when the exact time and date of their appearance [at the Invictus service] were made public, she started to rethink that idea.”

Initially, Harry and Meghan planned to celebrate Archie’s birthday — he turns 5 on May 6, 2024 — at home in Montecito, California, before taking a private jet the next day, the source claimed. 

“They were going to attend the Anniversary Service, followed by a few more days in the U.K. so the children could meet with members of Harry’s family.”

Archie and Lili getting to know their relatives has previously been reported as something Harry, Meghan, and the rest of the royals want. 

“Harry would love for Archie and Lilibet to have a better relationship with their cousins or even the children of some of his friends,” they continued. Harry “feels like they have been away from the U.K. for far too long.” 

To remedy that, he “wants to start building a life here. Not full-time, but a second home they can visit regularly.”

The Invictus anniversary will be the first U.K. Sussex family visit since 2022 if Meghan, Archie, and Lili join Harry

If Archie and Lili make the trip to England — it’s a big if at this point — it would be the first time Harry, Meghan, and their kids will have visited since 2022. Not to mention the couple’s second Invictus appearance after traveling to Canada in February 2024 to promote the 2025 games.

The family of four previously traveled to London for another big milestone, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne. (According to Spare, the queen had two words to describe Archie and Lili.)

Harry and Meghan attended one official Platinum Jubilee Weekend event publicly, coincidentally also a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. They also attended Trooping the Colour in a behind-the-scenes capacity. 

However, Harry and Meghan kept a low profile the rest of the time, sticking close to Frogmore Cottage, their former U.K. home in Windsor, England. They celebrated Lili’s birthday — she turned a year old during the visit — with a casual backyard party. 

Harry and Meghan released the first official photo of their daughter sitting in the grass at Frogmore Cottage. The couple also shared glimpses of Archie and Lili in England during their 2022 Harry & Meghan docuseries. 

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