Meghan Markle is said to be planning a return to Britain this summer for the first time in four years – but only if security arrangements are approved for her and Prince Harry.

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, is expected to join her husband at an Invictus Games event in Birmingham in July, amid ongoing discussions over whether the couple will be granted taxpayer funded protection while in the UK.

Her proposed visit comes as Harry awaits the outcome of a review into his security provision, following his long running battle to regain armed police protection when visiting Britain.

Meghan is understood to be hoping to attend a one-year countdown event for the Invictus Games on July 10, ahead of the 2027 Games in Birmingham.

The sporting event was founded by Harry to support wounded and injured service personnel and veterans.

She has previously joined Harry at similar one-year countdown ceremonies in Canada and Germany, and sources say she is keen to do the same in the UK – provided safety concerns are resolved.

It would mark Meghan’s first trip back to Britain since September 2022, when she attended Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

Although official details of the Birmingham countdown celebrations have yet to be confirmed, ceremonial appearances involving the Sussexes are expected.

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Harry and Meghan walk hand in hand at the Hillcrest Recreation Centre at the Invictus Games on February 10 2025

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Harry spoke to their favourite US based magazine ‘People’ to talk about Invictus and the impact it has on people’s lives. Pictured: Harry and Meghan on stage at the welcome celebration of the Invictus Games last year

A source told the Sun: ‘Security is always going to be the deciding factor in this.’

Harry’s security arrangements are currently being reviewed by Ravec, a committee made up of police, royal and government experts.

The Duke has repeatedly said he does not believe it is safe to bring his family to the UK without adequate protection.

Plans are reportedly well advanced for Meghan to travel to the Midlands to support the event, but only if the review concludes in their favour. A decision is expected later this month.

It remains unclear whether the couple’s children would accompany them. Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, have not been in the UK since Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022, when there were scattered boos as Meghan arrived for a service at St Paul’s Cathedral.

The Invictus Games Foundation is preparing a series of promotional events in Birmingham this summer, with invitations already sent to representatives of countries due to compete.

Meghan has previously been a regular presence at such events. In February 2024, she joined Harry in Vancouver and Whistler to promote the following year’s Games, meeting competitors and attending training sessions, before returning for the Games themselves 12 months later.

She also attended the one-year countdown ceremony in Düsseldorf in September 2022, just days before the death of Queen Elizabeth II, while the couple were staying in Windsor.

Meghan later spoke about the strain of time away from her children during an episode of her Netflix show With Love, Meghan.

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Prince Harry is set to invite his father King Charles to open his Invictus Games in the UK next year (pictured: the pair with Meghan Markle, left, in 2018)

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Prince Harry hugs a sit ski athlete at the finals of the alpine skiing novice competition at Whistler Blackcomb

She said: ‘The longest I went without being around our kids was almost three weeks. I was not well.’

She did not attend the one-year countdown event for the 2019 Hague Games as it came shortly after Archie’s birth, but she did attend the Games themselves.

Meghan was also present at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto and travelled with Harry to Nigeria in 2024 in support of the foundation.

Meanwhile, Harry, 41, is said to be hoping his father, King Charles, will open the Birmingham Invictus Games in July 2027, although invitations have not yet been issued.

Harry lost his automatic right to armed police protection when he stepped back as a working royal in 2020 and moved to California.

He later lost a High Court challenge against the decision last May, branding it a ‘good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up’.

Sources close to the Sussexes have reportedly suggested it is ‘nailed on’ that the Government will now grant him armed guards following the latest review.

A spokesperson for the Sussexes have been approached for comment.