IN a dramatic volte-face that has stunned royal watchers, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, are preparing to uproot their lives in California and return to the United Kingdom within weeks, according to multiple British media reports.
The couple, who stepped down as working royals in 2020 amid a bitter family feud, are said to be planning to leave the United States by the end of the month to settle in a private, non-royal residence believed to be located outside London, The Telegraph reported late on Wednesday.
Perhaps the most telling sign of the permanence of their move is the revelation that their two children, Prince Archie, aged seven, and Princess Lilibet, aged five, have already been enrolled in a British school for the start of the academic year in early September. The children had not seen their grandfather, King Charles III, since 2022.
According to the Press Association, the 77-year-old monarch was made aware on Sunday of the couple’s intention to return to British soil. While the King “welcomes the opportunity to see more of the family in a personal capacity”, sources stress there will be no change in their official status; Harry and Meghan will not be returning as working royals.
The news marks a stunning reversal for the couple, who have made a lucrative but often turbulent life for themselves in Montecito, California, since their acrimonious departure from royal duties. Their time in the US has been punctuated by a no-holds-barred interview with Oprah Winfrey and Harry’s tell-all memoir, Spare, both of which deepened the rift with his family, particularly with his brother and heir to the throne, Prince William.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams described the development as “extraordinary”, telling GB News: “My first thought frankly is… they failed to make it in the US… essentially they failed to be A-listers in Hollywood.” While the couple signed a blockbuster deal with Netflix reportedly worth $100 million, many of their projects have struggled to resonate with audiences, and a subsequent deal signed last August was described as a looser “multi-year, first look” arrangement.
The Sun newspaper reports that the couple will retain their Montecito home, as well as a property in Portugal where they are believed to have holidayed this summer.
The return also raises questions about security, a long-standing bone of contention. Harry has previously stated that he did not feel safe bringing his family to Britain after losing a court battle over taxpayer-funded police protection. “It’s impossible for me to take my family back to the UK safely,” he said last year following the ruling. The Home Office has maintained that the UK’s protective security system is “rigorous and proportionate”.
The announcement comes the day after Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, revealed he had written a book about his sister’s life, titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, due for publication on September 22. Spencer, who has remained close to both nephews, said he was compelled to write down his own thoughts “once and for all” to counter “untruths that have become accepted over time”.
It remains unclear whether Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, have been informed of their brother’s impending return. The two brothers have become notoriously estranged and are reportedly no longer on speaking terms.
The move will undoubtedly reignite intense media scrutiny on the Sussexes, who have long blamed the press for the death of Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997 while fleeing paparazzi. As the couple prepare to cross the Atlantic once more, the question on everyone’s lips is whether this homecoming will herald a genuine reconciliation, or merely open a new chapter in the royal family’s most publicised rift.
