Why Lilibet and Archie Didn't See the Queen Before Her Death

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, had luckily gotten the chance to meet Queen Elizabeth previously, but right before her death in 2022, security protocols prevented them from seeing their great-grandmother one last time.

In legal documents released this week following the court's ruling of Prince Harry's case calling for U.K. protection, it was revealed that Archie and Lilibet were slated to accompany their parents during a trip to the U.K. in September 2022, just before the queen's death. The voyage originally started as a way to "visit with several charities close to their hearts," but it ended up being extended due to the queen's passing. Because their ask for security was denied by RAVEC (the Royal and VIP Executive Committee), Harry and Meghan decided against bringing their kids for safety concerns.

"The Home Office had been notified on 3 August 2022 that the claimant and his wife and children would be visiting the United Kingdom between 2 and 11 September 2022," the document reads, per Town & Country. "The itinerary did not [redacted text]. On 10 August 2022, RAVEC met to decide what protective security, if any, should be provided. A letter outlining RAVEC’s decision was sent to the Private Secretary to the Sovereign, since the request for protective security had come through the Royal Household. The letter of 12 August was from the Chair of RAVEC to Sir Edward Young. It explained that [redacted text]."

The record then stated that Harry and Meghan's team "wrote to say that the proposed security arrangements for the September visit were not lawful and that [redacted text] was plainly inadequate."

Elsewhere in the documents, Meghan and Harry's May 2023 paparazzi chase in New York City was detailed and labeled as "reckless" behavior on the paparazzi's end, according to a New York City Police Department investigation. No arrests have been made, however, there is "sufficient evidence to arrest two individuals for reckless endangerment," the statement reads. Law enforcement insiders told ABC News that there were currently no plans to arrest anyone.

Earlier this week, Harry's legal team told People that the prince plans to appeal. “The Duke is not asking for preferential treatment, but for a fair and lawful application of RAVEC’s own rules, ensuring that he receives the same consideration as others in accordance with RAVEC’s own written policy," his legal spokesperson said. "In February 2020, RAVEC failed to apply its written policy to The Duke of Sussex and excluded him from a particular risk analysis. The Duke’s case is that the so-called 'bespoke process' that applies to him is no substitute for that risk analysis."