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Prince Harry will attend the Invictus Games countdown event in Birmingham without Meghan Markle after plans for the Duchess of Sussex to appear were dropped.
PEOPLE has confirmed that Meghan, 44, will not join Harry at the one year countdown celebration for the 2027 Invictus Games on Friday, July 10. She is also not expected to make any public appearances during the Duke of Sussex's current visit to the United Kingdom.
Harry, 41, will instead attend the event alone at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre, where he is scheduled to take part in activities with competitors from previous Invictus Games. The event marks the official start of the countdown to the 2027 competition, which Birmingham will host next July.
The latest update follows earlier reports that Meghan and the couple's children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, would not travel to London with Harry because of ongoing security concerns. At the time, Harry's spokesperson said no final decision had been made on whether the family might join him elsewhere in Britain later in the trip.
Although Meghan will not participate in Friday's public engagement, it remains uncertain whether she and the children could still make a private visit before Harry returns home.
Harry had hoped to bring Archie and Lilibet back to Britain for the first time since 2022. The trip would have given the children an opportunity to spend time in the country where their father grew up and potentially visit King Charles. However, plans reportedly changed after the family learned they would receive police protection only while staying on royal property, but not during travel or other activities.
Despite the changes, Harry has continued with a full schedule focused on his charitable work and support for the Invictus Games. On July 9, he visited Birmingham Children's Hospital through his long standing role as patron of WellChild, a charity that supports seriously ill children and their families.
During the visit, Harry shared a personal update about Archie, revealing that his son is "obsessed" with LEGO and has already become a "master builder."
Harry's return to Britain comes as he continues to navigate ongoing disputes surrounding security arrangements and accommodation, as well as the aftermath of his recent legal defeat in a privacy case against Associated Newspapers.
The Birmingham event will spotlight both returning and new adaptive sports while building excitement ahead of the 2027 Invictus Games.
