This comes after Prince Harry lost his court battle against the publisher of the Daily Mail

The Duchess of Sussex has pulled out of attending the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham, GB News can confirm.

Meghan Markle had been due to attend alongside her husband, Prince Harry, at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) on Friday.

However, sources have confirmed to GB News that the duchess is not attending.

The duke and duchess's office declined to comment on whether Meghan plans to fly into the UK privately with the children.

This comes after days of difficult headlines for Prince Harry, who spectacularly lost his court battle against the publisher of the Daily Mail.

The Telegraph has reported that Meghan, 44, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, will come to Britain this week, despite not making any public appearances.

The Duchess of Sussex had already pulled out of a scheduled appearance with her husband at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London on Wednesday.

This came after it was decided by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) that the Sussexes were not entitled to any police protection during their UK visit.

The duke and duchess lost their right to automatic taxpayer-funded police security in 2020 after stepping back as senior royals.

Prince Harry challenged his UK security downgrade but officially lost that appeal in May 2025.

The senior judge, Sir Geoffrey Vos, noted that while they understood Harry's fears, his "sense of grievance" did not translate into a valid legal argument.

Following the ruling, Harry expressed that he was "devastated". He stated it made bringing Meghan and their children back to the UK "impossible" due to safety concerns.

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If Meghan, Archie and Lilibet do decide to come to the UK, it would mark their first return since 2022.

That particular trip was in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee and was also the last time King Charles saw his grandchildren.

Harry has only seen his father twice in the last two and a half years.

On Wednesday, a royal source spoke to the Mirror about a potential meeting between the King, Archie and Lilibet this week, claiming: "While nothing has been ruled out, conversations remain ongoing."

Another insider said: "The King would not pass up the opportunity to spend time with his grandchildren and if there is a way of making it possible, he will do it."

Buckingham Palace declined to comment when contacted by GB News.