Controversial Royal couple to fly back for Queen’s Jubilee

The Queen will welcome Harry and Meghan with open arms next week as her entire family gathers to celebrate her historic Platinum Jubilee.

Sources say the 96-year-old monarch is “looking forward” to seeing her great-grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet. She is likely to spend time with them privately next Saturday, when Lilibet celebrates her first birthday.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children are set to stay at Frogmore Cottage, their Windsor home – a short drive from the Queen’s private apartments at the castle.

The sovereign has made it clear she does not want any family dramas to overshadow next weekend’s four-day national celebration.

The modest monarch wants the Jubilee bank holiday weekend, which runs from Thursday to Sunday, to be “an occasion in which the country, including her own family, comes together”, a source said.

Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, will attend the national Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday.

It is understood the Sussexes are likely to attend at least one other public engagement – although sources have strongly warned that the public should “not expect them at every event”.

They will also spend time with Royal Family members privately, introducing the Prince of Wales to Lilibet for the first time. He has not seen Archie, three, since he was a baby.

It is unclear whether the Sussexes will spend time alone with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children. William is known to have been hit hardest by his brother’s perceived betrayal.

One insider stressed: “Her Majesty is typically very keen that the Platinum Jubilee be a celebration not of herself and her own longevity, but of the institution of the monarchy and the people that support and sustain it.

“It is also a chance for people to come together after a very difficult period for this country. She doesn’t want anything to overshadow it – and that includes any family issues.”

As the nation prepares to celebrate the Queen’s unprecedented 70 years on the throne:

· Britons are predicted to spend £3 billion over the Jubilee weekend;

· An estimated 16,000 street parties will be held across England;

· The Met Office says a ‘plume of warm air’ will bring widespread sunshine for the bank holiday;

· But travellers were warned to expect a week of disruption on roads, trains and at airports.

It is understood other members of the Royal Family support the Queen’s magnanimous gesture towards the Sussexes, although, privately, there are nerves about how the week will turn out.

Meghan has not seen most of them since she acrimoniously quit as a working royal two years ago, while Harry has only briefly seen his grandmother, father and brother.