Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are reportedly planning to move back to Britain this month, six years after stepping down from their royal duties and relocating to the United States.
People magazine and The Telegraph reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will move from California to the UK with their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, for an extended period. The children are expected to begin school in Britain in September.
There has been no official comment from Harry’s spokesperson or Buckingham Palace. However, a source close to the couple reportedly confirmed that the plans were accurate.
According to The Telegraph, Harry and Meghan will not live in a royal residence and will continue their lives as non-working royals, in line with the arrangement agreed with the late Queen Elizabeth II when they stepped down in March 2020.
Harry married former actress Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle in 2018, with their union initially seen as an opportunity to bring renewed attention to the British monarchy.
However, tensions between the couple and other members of the royal family gradually emerged. In March 2020, Harry and Meghan announced that they would withdraw from official royal duties and relocate to the US.
The couple subsequently settled in Montecito, California, near Santa Barbara, where reports said they purchased a 16-bedroom home for around US$14.7 million in 2020.
Since then, Harry and Meghan have spoken publicly about their experiences with the royal family and the monarchy through television interviews, a Netflix documentary series and Harry’s memoir, Spare.
During their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan claimed that an unnamed member of the royal family had raised concerns about the possible skin colour of her and Harry’s future child. Prince William later rejected suggestions that members of the royal family were racist.
Harry also made strong criticisms of his father, King Charles, and Prince William, contributing to a significant deterioration in his relationship with his family.
His dispute with the British government over security arrangements was another source of tension, with Harry arguing that the absence of automatic police protection made it difficult for him to bring his children to Britain.
Relations between Harry and his father appeared to improve last September when they met briefly for the first time in 20 months.
King Charles was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer in 2024. He later said that his treatment had gone exceptionally well and that doctors were reducing the frequency of his treatments.
Harry, Meghan and their children visited Britain last month, during which Charles reportedly saw his grandchildren for the first time since 2022.
While the King has welcomed the opportunity to spend more time with the Sussexes, reports said he only learned about the couple’s plans to return to Britain on Sunday.
Harry’s relationship with his brother William, however, is understood to remain strained.
Since moving to California, Harry and Meghan have pursued several media ventures, including multi-million-dollar agreements with Spotify for a podcast and Netflix for various programmes, including a lifestyle series hosted by Meghan.
Their projects have produced mixed results. Harry’s memoir became a bestseller, while their Spotify partnership eventually ended and Meghan’s Netflix programme was not renewed for a third season.
Hollywood publication Deadline.com executive editor Dominic Patten said the couple had not achieved the level of celebrity status they had initially sought.
Nevertheless, he noted that Harry and Meghan had continued to attract public interest despite living in an entertainment industry filled with major celebrities.
