Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Moving Back to the UK

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to the United Kingdom with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, six years after leaving royal duties and establishing their family life in California.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to relocate to Britain this month for an extended period, with Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, set to begin school in the UK in September. The family will establish a private home in Britain rather than return to a royal residence, while continuing to maintain their home in Montecito, California, and their vacation property in Portugal.

The location of their new British home and the children’s school has not been disclosed. Those details are being closely guarded for privacy and security reasons.

Photo: PA Images

The move gives Harry and Meghan a home base in Britain for the first time since they gave up the lease on Frogmore Cottage, the Windsor residence that Queen Elizabeth II had given them. King Charles later asked them to leave the property following the publication of Harry’s 2023 memoir, Spare.

Despite the relocation, there is no return to official royal duties. The couple will continue as private individuals and non-working members of the royal family, in line with the arrangement established when they stepped back from royal responsibilities in 2020. Their move therefore does not represent a return to life as working royals.

King Charles was informed of the couple’s plans on August 16, and he welcomes the opportunity to spend more private and personal time with Harry, Meghan and their children. The development comes only weeks after the family made a joint trip to the UK, their first together since 2020. During that visit, Archie and Lilibet reunited with their grandfather for the first time in more than four years.

Photo: Instagram

The family’s summer visit also included time at Althorp House, the Northamptonshire estate where Princess Diana spent much of her childhood and where she is buried. Harry, Meghan and their children visited the estate and spent time with members of the wider Spencer family.

The return also creates more room for Harry to continue his work with organisations and causes in Britain. From a UK base, he will be able to spend more time supporting charities including Scotty’s Little Soldiers and WellChild, as well as the Invictus community. He is already expected to return to Britain in September for WellChild engagements and events connected to the Invictus Games.

Meghan, meanwhile, will continue running her lifestyle company, As Ever, from the couple’s international bases while pursuing future projects. The Sussexes have maintained that they are financially independent, supporting themselves without taxpayer funding.

Security has remained one of the biggest complications surrounding Harry’s relationship with Britain. After he and Meghan stepped away from royal duties, they lost their taxpayer-funded police protection, leading Harry into a lengthy legal battle over his security arrangements. His decision to establish a permanent family base in the UK marks a significant change against that background, although a spokesperson for the couple declined to comment on the security situation surrounding the move.

Photo: PA Images

The Sussexes left Britain in 2020 following an increasingly strained relationship with the royal family. Their subsequent years in the United States included major media projects, Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary series, their interview with Oprah Winfrey and Harry’s memoir, Spare, all of which brought further attention to their disagreements with the institution and members of the royal family.

Their relationship with King Charles has shown signs of improvement in recent months. The family’s summer reunion was particularly significant because it marked the first time Charles had seen Archie and Lilibet in more than four years. Harry’s relationship with his brother, Prince William, however, remains strained.

After six years based in California, Harry and Meghan are preparing to make Britain part of their family life again, this time with Archie and Lilibet beginning school there.