Prince Harry is reportedly planning a deeply personal stop during his expected visit to the UK, one that could help his children feel closer to the grandmother they never had the chance to meet.
According to a source close to the Spencer family, the Duke of Sussex wants to take Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to visit Princess Diana’s grave.
The insider told Naughty But Nice that Harry still carries the loss of his mother with him and wants his children to understand her place in their family story.
“Harry still carries the loss of his mother every day,” the source claimed, adding that one of the hardest parts for him is knowing that Archie and Lilibet will never know Diana personally.
For Harry, the visit is reportedly about giving his children a meaningful connection to their late grandmother, who the source said “would have adored them.”
However, the plan has also sparked concern in royal circles. A Palace source claimed that any public reference to Diana involving the Sussexes often leads to renewed scrutiny, especially around Meghan Markle.
Speaking to celebrity reporter Rob Shuter’s Substack, the source said, “For Harry, Diana is his mother. For Meghan, critics argue Diana has sometimes become part of the brand.”
The insider added that some within royal circles worry that Diana’s memory can become tangled in public debates about the Sussexes.
“There are people in royal circles who worry every Diana story turns into emotional leverage that makes criticism of Meghan almost impossible,” the source claimed.
Harry and Meghan’s lives changed dramatically after they stepped back from royal duties. The couple first spent time on Vancouver Island in Canada before moving to California during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also stayed at Tyler Perry’s home before settling in Santa Barbara.
Their final round of royal engagements included the Endeavour Fund Awards and the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey.
A year later, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Sussexes would not return as working royals after a 12-month review period. As a result, Harry lost his honorary military titles and several royal patronages.
In the years that followed, the couple gave a series of high-profile interviews, including appearances with Oprah Winfrey, 60 Minutes, CBS and the BBC. They also released their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, after signing major deals with Netflix and Spotify.
While their Netflix partnership has continued in a reduced form, the Spotify deal came to an end. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek later made headlines after criticizing the couple and referring to them as “grifters.”
In January 2023, Harry released his memoir, Spare, which included claims about the Sandringham summit, his strained relationship with Prince William and the alleged dog bowl incident. He also suggested that he had left out material, raising speculation about whether he could one day write a second book.
During this period, the Sussex family also grew. Princess Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born in 2021, after Meghan previously opened up about suffering a miscarriage in an essay for The New York Times titled “The Losses We Share.”
Meghan’s documented returns to the UK with Harry have included Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 and the late Queen’s funeral later that year. Harry also attended King Charles’ coronation, although Meghan remained in California with their children.
Following Queen Elizabeth’s death, Archie and Lilibet became Prince and Princess, a change Harry has described as their birthright.
More recently, Harry and King Charles are said to have had their first official in-person meeting in years, reportedly sitting down for tea at Windsor Castle for nearly an hour.
Since then, the Sussexes have appeared to scale back public criticism of the royal family. Reports have suggested they may be looking to rebuild bridges, though Prince William is still believed to be deeply unhappy with the situation.
For Harry, taking Archie and Lilibet to Diana’s resting place would be a private family moment. But given the history surrounding the Sussexes and the royal family, it could also become one of the most closely watched parts of his UK visit.
