Why Meghan Markle and Archie 'will stay home' when Prince Harry returns to the UK this summer

The Duke of Sussex is expected to return to the UK for a string of important events this summer, but Meghan Markle and Archie are "unlikely" to join him.

• Meghan Markle "will stay home" when Prince Harry returns to the UK later this year 
• The couple's son Archie hasn't seen any members of his British family since he was 6 months old 
• Sources say it is a "personal and practical" decision and not a snub
• It follows Royal News that a documentary banned by the Queen 50 years ago has been leaked 

Prince Harry is set to return to the UK later this year to mark several important events in the royal calendar, but it is thought he will make the trip alone. 

It will be the first time Prince Harry has reunited with his family since making the controversial decision to step down last year - causing many people to ask the question, 'Are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle still royal?'

And royal watchers will no doubt be waiting with baited breath to see how the reunion goes, amid rumours of a feud with his own brother, Prince William, after Prince Harry revealed he was "heartbroken" over the "painful" family situation. 

Now it has been revealed that his wife, Meghan Markle, is unlikely to join Prince Harry during the trip to the UK. And Archie is likely to remain at home too. 

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Despite stepping back as senior royals last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were expected to attend several key events in the royal calendar - including the Duke of Edinburgh's 100th birthday celebration and the Trooping of the Colour in June.

In July, a statue created in honour of Prince Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, will be unveiled in the Sunken Gardens in Buckingham Palace.

The installation is set to coincide with what would have been her 60th birthday on July 1 2021.

While the events are incredibly close to Prince Harry's heart, it is thought the reunion of the Fab Four could deter from the significance and cause a media furore. 

An insider revealed, "Harry wants to come back for The Queen and Prince Philip's big birthdays. But it looks likely it will be just him.

"If Meghan comes back, the feeling is that it would overshadow the occasion. People would only be looking at the 'drama' of it all.

"Of course she would be welcome, but a decision not to come would postpone that headache for a while at least."

The last time the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge came face-to-face was at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey last March - one of Prince Harry and Meghan's final engagements before their departure.

To say it was a frosty reunion would be an understatement, so it's no surprise royal insiders are suggesting a repeat could be detrimental to the family.

But, palace insiders have said the logistics of such a trip - both with the current global pandemic and Harry and Meghan's one-year-old son Archie - should not be overlooked.

"It should be strongly stressed that there is still an element of uncertainty about this because of the unpredictable Covid situation, but the understanding is the duke is more than likely to come back on his own," a separate source revealed.

"This is a personal and practical decision by the couple, but it would certainly help officials navigate what is likely to be a fairly tricky situation."

If the rumours are true, it means members of the royal family will not have seen Prince Harry's son, Archie, since he was just six months old. 

Thankfully it is thought the brothers were in touch over Christmas, after Harry and Meghan held out an olive branch to the royals.