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Reports this afternoon suggested the Sussexes had discussed their move to the UK with the Horners

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have denied meeting Geri and Christian Horner for a "secret lunch" ahead of their return to the UK.

Reports emerged on Monday afternoon that the former Spice Girl and her husband invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for lunch at their Cotswolds home.

According to the Daily Mail, Harry and Meghan joined Mr Horner and his wife at their £9.2million countryside mansion during their trip to the UK in July.

The outlet claimed that the foursome discussed the UK in detail, just weeks before it was revealed that the duke and duchess would return to Harry's homeland.

The report also suggested the former pop star had spoken to Meghan about the Cotswolds as a potential place for the duchess to move, while Harry has maintained consistent phone contact with Mr Horner.

However, the Sussexes' spokesman has vehemently denied these claims.

While admitting Harry and Meghan are "great fans of Geri and Christian", the spokesman told GB News that the claims in the original story were "completely untrue".

"There was no lunch, no 'summit' and no discussion about the Duke and Duchess’s return to the UK," the spokesman said.

"The Horners are not advising them on their return, nor have they been asked to do so.

"It is difficult to understand how a story built around events that did not happen can be presented as fact."

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Harry's disputes with the outlet have been drawn out in public and have been expensive for the duke.

Last week, a High Court judge ordered a group of claimants, including the prince and Sir Elton John, to pay an initial £9.54m to the newspaper after their defeat in the landmark privacy case in July.

The group of seven had made claims against the Daily Mail's publisher alleging unlawful information-gathering - accusations the outlet strenuously denied throughout proceedings.

These were thrown out on July 7 when Mr Justice Nicklin ruled that the high-profile group had not substantiated their allegations against the publisher.

Dozens of witnesses testified during the trial, with the Duke of Sussex travelling from the United States to appear in court personally.

Following the ruling, Harry released a statement with Baroness Lawrence, whose son Stephen was murdered in 1993, declaring it "a complete and obvious whitewash, but sadly not altogether unexpected."