As Prince Harry faces one of the most emotional chapters in his ongoing relationship with the Royal Family, insiders say Meghan Markle has continued to quietly step back and let him “lead” when it comes to deeply personal family matters.

Meghan Markle lets Prince Harry take the lead as he navigates conflicts with his family.

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, planned to be by her husband’s side for several outings during Harry’s return to the U.K. last week. However, there was an about-face when security concerns prevented her and their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, from a full visit to Harry’s home country. Although she returned to England for the first time since 2022 for a private reunion with King Charles, Meghan didn’t make any public appearances during the trip.

A source who knows the couple tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story that she would have felt “humiliated” watching the public back-and-forth unfold.

Another source tells PEOPLE Meghan “is very supportive” of Harry, adding, “There’s a lot of sadness” over how the week unfolded and that she wasn’t able to be by his side.

However, another insider adds, when it comes to Harry’s dealings with his family, “she always lets him lead.”

Meghan has joined Prince Harry at previous events surrounding the Invictus Games, including multiple one-year countdown events. However, Harry stepped out solo for the countdown festivities held in Birmingham last week ahead of the 2027 sporting competition for service personnel and veterans.

After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were bringing their children for the trip to the U.K., questions surrounding security created a public standoff between the couple and the palace. After initially declining King Charles’ offer to stay at a royal residence, Harry later sought to accept it—but palace officials maintained the deadline had passed, turning what should have been a private family matter into yet another public scuffle.

Behind the scenes, the drama surrounding the visit was “quite stressful,” says a source close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Adds Russell Myers, author of William & Catherine, “What was billed as a big homecoming—not only for Harry but potentially for Meghan too — turned into a nightmare. It was further evidence of the fractiousness of Harry’s relationship with the institution.”

Eventually, it was decided that Prince Harry would return to the U.K. solo for the week of charity events, with Meghan and the children returning to England later in the week for the reunion with King Charles and Queen Camilla.

For those close to Harry, the public wrangling was as frustrating as it was familiar.

“This is not the first time it has not been plain sailing with correspondence or trying to make things work,” says a well-placed source. “It all comes back to security. If that was resolved, there would be so much more certainty every time he comes—or they come.”

One of the clearest reminders of Meghan’s absence came at the one-year countdown to the 2027 Birmingham Invictus Games on July 10, where she had originally been expected to appear alongside Harry.“Invictus is Harry on his A game. It was ‘Look at what you’re missing,’ ” adds Simon Vigar, author of the upcoming Four Wives of Windsor. “It is a crying shame. Meghan and Harry could have been  absolutely transformative for the royal family.”

Prince Harry and Meghan’s police protection in the U.K. was stripped after they stepped back from their royal roles and relocated to her home state of California in 2020. The Duke of Sussex has long sought to have it reinstated.

PEOPLE understands that a long-awaited review of Harry’s security by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) is still ongoing.

After losing his legal appeal over his security in Britain, Prince Harry told the BBC in May 2025 that he couldn’t “see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point.”

“The things that they’re going to miss is, well, everything,” he added of his children. “I miss the U.K., I miss parts of the U.K., of course I do. I think that it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”