There was widespread speculation about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s return to the U.K. Many wondered whether their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, would travel with them, whether they would reunite with King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and what public appearances the Duke and Duchess of Sussex might make together after being away from Britain for four years.
Meghan shared a series of photos from the trip on Instagram. The post, shared July 23 with the caption “Summer Holiday,” included a photo of Harry, 7-year-old Archie and 5-year-old Lilibet walking along a tree-lined path at Althorp Estate, the Spencer family’s ancestral home where Princess Diana grew up. The family was photographed from behind carrying large bouquets of flowers, suggesting they visited Princess Diana’s grave, which is located on an island in the estate’s Oval Lake.
The Sussex family stayed at the Northamptonshire estate as guests of Harry’s uncle, Charles Spencer. The 13,000-acre property has belonged to the Spencer family for more than 500 years. Princess Diana lived there after her parents’ divorce until she married then-Prince Charles. Her burial site features a Doric-style temple with her name inscribed at the top.
The visit marked Meghan’s first trip to the U.K. in more than four years after she and Harry moved permanently to Montecito in 2020. However, it was not her first visit to Althorp. In his memoir Spare, Harry wrote about taking Meghan there on the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death. He wrote: “At long last, I was bringing the girl of my dreams home to meet Mum.”
During the visit, Prince Harry took part in several charitable events and promoted the Invictus Games, which will be held in Birmingham next year. Reports said Harry and his family were expected to stay at a royal residence, but the plan fell through because of communication problems between the palace and the Sussexes’ team. Security concerns also delayed Meghan and the children from joining Harry immediately after it was confirmed they would not receive state-funded security. Around the same time, the outcome of Harry’s court case against Associated Newspapers was also released.
Other photos shared by Meghan showed the family enjoying a vacation in Portugal. The pictures included Meghan and Harry laughing during dinner, Archie sitting in the cockpit of a plane, Harry throwing Lilibet into a swimming pool, and another photo of Meghan with their dog. One beach photo closely resembled vintage summer photos of Princess Diana.
In the weeks that followed, Harry attended several public events without Meghan. These included the Time100 Sports Gala. Following the 2026 World Cup final, he also appeared on After Hours with James Corden.
