With renewed scrutiny surrounding the Duchess of Sussex's business ventures and heightened attention on her husband's ties with the royal family, the Sussex family's visit to the UK next month arrives at a pivotal moment for Meghan.

It was extensively reported recently that Prince Harry and Meghan are planning to bring Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, to Harry's homeland next month, ahead of the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham.

"They need to come, or more accurately, Meghan needs to come," royal author Ingrid Seward said, "She really needs a bit of royal stardust sprinkled on her and her business if she wants it to succeed. She's probably hoping a visit to the UK would give her that, so she has to make it work somehow.

"It could be a very good move for her business but it leaves her with a bit of a crisis because coming to a country where she is so disliked won't be easy."

Recent weeks have witnessed a stream of speculation suggesting potential difficulties lie ahead for Meghan's As Ever lifestyle enterprise, which she established in April last year.

One account suggested Meghan's popularity amongst Americans declined during the first three months of this year and simultaneously, "visits to her As Ever online shop also dipped".

Meanwhile, America's Page Six alleged the former Suits actress could be "facing a $5 million jam" if she fails to shift her jams, teas and flower sprinkles before they "go out of date" at the end of next summer.

However, a Sussex spokesperson rejected the assertions that As Ever is experiencing financial troubles or bankruptcy as "entirely false and based on speculation", and confirmed it continues to expand with "a strong customer community and an exciting pipeline of future products."

Since its debut, Meghan has encountered criticism over everything from her merchandise to queries about whether she's capitalising on her royal connections.

The most recent focus was her As Ever advertisement before Sunday's Father's Day, which directed customers to a gift collection featuring signature candle (and matches), herbal tea and a jar of honey – for $110 (£83). Writing on X, one individual alleged Meghan "disowned her dad" while "trying to keep a royal title selling Father's Day items".

According to Ingrid, if Meghan wishes to establish a brand that provides her financial security and autonomy from Harry's UK royal family, she requires the royal stamp of approval.

"The business and her relationships with the royal family are sort of symbiotic," she explains. "Her branding is built on a Hollywood idea of royalty, it's regal by Hollywood standards. It's also a sort of influencer brand, so she needs to be an influencer with royal connections. She can't be that unless she has some sort of relationship, ideally a good one, with the royal family."

Another aspect of Meghan's dilemma, Ingrid claims, is the difficulty of reversing the predominantly unfavourable public opinion of her amongst those who continue to "blame her for everything that's gone wrong with Harry and his family".

"I don't know how she'll turn it around, because a lot of people feel that way," Ingrid claims. "Coming here and facing that will be a challenge, but the last thing she wants is more rumours that she and Harry are getting divorced, if he were to come alone. She knows she's under fire and the 'under fire' image isn't good for her brand. She's fighting in all corners so she needs to project a perfect image in order to keep building her brand and business."

Naturally, any prospective UK visit also resurrects questions surrounding Harry's relationship with his father, King Charles, and the wider family, whom he stated last year he would "love" to reconcile with.

"There's no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious," he told the BBC following his unsuccessful Court of Appeal challenge regarding the level of security he and his family receive on UK soil.

Harry's most recent face-to-face meeting with his father took place in September last year, when they gathered at Clarence House for 54 minutes. Subsequently, details were purportedly leaked by someone claiming the atmosphere was "distinctly formal" and that Harry gave his father a framed photograph of his children.

In response, Harry's representatives blamed "sources intent on sabotaging" the reunion, and stated the "formal" claim was "categorically false". Ingrid says any potential meeting next month will demand careful and thorough planning, though it is unlikely that either Team Sussex or Buckingham Palace will disclose any details.

"Arranging a last-minute visit and hoping to see King Charles would be a risk," she claims. "His days are ordered down to the second, which is why he values his time off so greatly.

"So if Harry, with or without his family, is hoping for more than 54 minutes, it will need to be very carefully planned as early as possible. But I'm sure the King would love to see and get to know Harry's children.

"He loves spending time with the younger generations of the family, we saw that at Trooping the Colour, and he's always especially sweet with Prince Louis. It would be lovely for him to have that opportunity and time with Harry's children too."