Meghan Markle bombshell as pal's claim she will 'return to UK this year' sparks mystery

When The Duchess of Sussex made a shock appearance at the Balenciaga fashion show in Paris last week, her unexpected arrival instantly stole the show.

It marked the first time in three years that Meghan has publicly visited Europe, with the former actress only returning a handful of times since leaving the UK behind and moving to California with her family.

Since then, Prince Harry and Meghan have appeared together in New York, where they received a Humanitarians of the Year award at the World Mental Health Day gala.

It was a rare joint outing for the couple and came hot on the heels of Harry's fleeting visit back to the UK in September, where he reunited with his father the King for the first time in 19 months.

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Meghan's surprise Paris visit has left many royal watchers wondering whether she'll make the trip back to England any time soon. While Harry has always cited security fears as the key barrier to his whole family visiting, a new mysterious report has claimed that this could change.

That's because a source quoted as a friend of couple has made the bombshell claim that the duchess plans to return to the UK before 2026.

The pal told the Daily Mail that "Meghan will return to Britain before the year is out," with the unnamed friend joking that the duchess will be "bearing humble pie".

This, the report claims, is part of a greater "process" to "thaw" the icy relations between the couple and the Royal Family after years of tension and estrangement.

The publication even alleges that the 'establishment plot' is backed by some courtiers and senior politicians, and is known as 'Project Thaw'.

But despite Harry's desire for Archie and Lilibet to see his home country, the Mirror understands that there is no truth to the reports of Meghan heading back to England before the New Year, leaving the pal's claims shrouded in mystery.

Harry has been clear that since the right to automatic police security was removed from his family when he and Meghan stepped back as working royals, he does not feel comfortable bringing his wife and children to the UK.

Currently, the Duke receives a "bespoke" security arrangement, which sees it decided on a case-by-case basis whether he will be given police protection when he comes back to his home country.

After a long-running legal battle with the Home Office to reverse this decision was finally lost this spring, Harry has to rely on a private security team he employs to keep him safe.

However, during the legal challenge, his lawyers made it clear they didn't believe the private security had the necessary jurisdiction or intelligence to totally protect the Sussex family.

After losing the legal battle in May, Harry told the BBC: "I can't see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point".

When Harry came back to the UK last month, a known 'stalker' of the Duke was reportedly found hiding in the toilets of a swanky London hotel just minutes before he was due to arrive for an event. The same woman is said to have been "body blocked" by Harry's security just days later.

Two members of Harry's staff had to get involved when the woman was found making "odd comments" in the loos.

"There was no police presence or close protection. It was left to two staffers from his office to intervene. This time, they got lucky," a source told The Sun.