When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle land in the U.K. next month, they may stay at Princess Diana’s ancestral home.
The trip would mark the first time in four years that the Duke of Sussex, who lives in California, has returned to his home country with his wife and their two children. The Sussexes are expected to travel to Britain for celebrations marking the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, according to the BBC.
Fox News Digital reached out to Archewell, which represents the offices of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for comment.
The timing has put Althorp House in the spotlight. The estate, about an hour from Birmingham, is scheduled to close to visitors on July 10 and 11 â the same dates Harry and Meghan are expected to be in the U.K., People reported.
Fox News Digital reached out to an Althorp spokesperson for comment. An Archewell spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, for security reasons, the organization would not comment on the couple’s accommodations.
For Harry, Althorp represents both a connection to his mother’s legacy and one of the few private places tied to her memory.
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“Harry can engage with his mother’s story on his own terms, without the royal household’s protocol,” British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital.
“Althorp offers privacy, seclusion and a direct connection to his mother’s memory, something Buckingham Palace, as a working royal landmark with a huge office complex, cannot provide,” she said.Â
“It’s also exactly the comfy luxury Meghan prefers and a place Harry feels closest to his mum. The Sussexes can call the shots. Harry has spoken often about wanting Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to know Diana’s story.”
Althorp is where Diana is buried, away from the glaring media spotlight. The family’s visit would come shortly after July 1 birthday. It would also mark a significant visit for Lilibet, 5, whose middle name honors her grandmother.
Chard also said the property would offer refuge for the Sussexes, who “guard the children’s privacy tightly, well on their terms.”
People previously reported that King Charles had offered the Sussexes accommodations on a royal estate. However, there has been no public response to the offer. Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. The outlet also reported that the monarch previously offered Harry accommodations at Buckingham Palace, which he declined.
“Staying at Althorp instead of a royal property would definitely send a message that Harry is prioritizing a connection to Diana and his family’s privacy over institutional alignment right now,” royal commentator Amanda Matta told Fox News Digital.
“Buckingham Palace has been undergoing extensive renovations, and although it remains of Harry’s father, the king, it has largely fallen out of use since Charles’ accession. He prefers to stay at Clarence House or Highgrove. Even Prince William has signaled that Buckingham Palace won’t be his primary residence as king.”
Matta said Althorp is just “one of several alternatives for the Sussex family’s U.K. stay.”
“It is the perfect setting for Archie and Lilibet to learn about ‘Granny Diana’ since her story is physically embedded there,” Matta said. “It also allows for a private introduction to that side of the family without the pressure of official royal protocol and the need to navigate frosty Spencer-Windsor relations.”
Matta said staying at Althorp would make it unlikely for the Sussexes to have a “casual
