Next month is set to be a significant one for the Royal Family, as Prince Harry is set to visit the UK. It is up in the air as to whether he will bring his wife and children after his request for protection from police was rejected, it has been reported. It seems that the trip is morphing into a disaster before it has even started, as it has been claimed that plans have been pulled out from under the Sussexes’ feet at the last minute. It has also been suggested that Harry does not want him and his family to be chased by paparazzi wherever they go.

Obviously, Harry has a grudge against the media after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, and settling out of court over phone hacking allegations. But in no universe would the media leave him and Meghan alone during their time in the UK.

Plus, one can argue that what seem to be concerns about literally being pursued by photographers are out of date as the press nowadays adheres to strict privacy laws and IPSO’s Editors’ Code of Practice.

It is unreasonable for the couple to demand that the media steps away.

Even though they left the Royal Family in 2020, they still use their titles and their recent tour of Australia showed all too well that they long for attention.

You cannot expect positive publicity and no criticism at all.

Harry and Meghan were scheduled to be in Britain for events related to the Invictus Games, perhaps the prince’s standout contribution to public life.

One cannot help but be reminded of the good the King’s second son could have done if he stayed in the Firm with his wife.

The couple could today be a valuable asset, helping ensure the family adjusts to operating in the 21st century.

Alas, they decided to abandon their duties and flee across the Atlantic to California.

Of course, as his father and the sovereign, His Majesty has a right to do whatever he sees fit – including offering Harry somewhere to stay on a royal estate. And it is understandable that he wishes to see his grandchildren for the first time since 2022.

But a curse that comes with being a member of the Royal Family is that normal family needs are often rightly put aside in favour of the Crown, and, given that the prince has been launching artillery at the institution in TV interviews and a ghost-written autobiography, welcoming him back with open arms and providing luxurious accommodation feels wrong.

What’s more, it is dangerous.

A source told Vanity Fair that Prince William is “not minded to a reconciliation at all, and the fact that his father is bending over backwards to make Harry’s visit happen has become the source of deep irritation”.

The last thing the monarchy needs is more splits, as it presents a united front in the face of Harry and Meghan moaning in the United States and scandals involving Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, who denies all wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes.

Harry’s visit is not just set to be embarrassing, but also a moment of peril, which exposes a major difference of opinion between the heir to the throne and its current occupant at a time when positive optics are important to the royals, perhaps more than ever.