Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be moving back to the UK in a matter of weeks, after spending more than six years living in California following their dramatic exit from the Royal Family. It is understood the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their children, will be making the move back to Harry's home country at the end of August, with Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, set to start the new school year in the UK in September.
The Sussexes are understood to have secured a private, non-royal home in Britain, although details of their new residence and the children's school have not been disclosed for security and privacy reasons.
Signs of a Planned Return
While some may be blindsided by the news of Harry and Meghan's return to the UK, there have been subtle signs from the Duke over the last few years that he may have been plotting the transatlantic move for quite some time.
Ahead of Remembrance Day last November, Harry penned an emotional letter expressing his love for his home country and the "things that make us British". In the letter, he spoke of his pride at fighting for his country and warned how easy it is for veterans to be forgotten "once the uniform comes off". In a personal 647-word piece titled "The Bond, The Banter, The Bravery: What it means to be British – By Prince Harry", the duke acknowledges that although he 'currently' lives in the US, he reflects that "Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for".
He paid tribute to the "stoic spirit" of self-deprecation and humour of "us Brits" and fondly tells how the "banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands" are the "things that make us British", adding "I love it."
Mending the Relationship with King Charles
Harry has been working on mending his fractured relationship with his estranged father King Charles for over a year, with him first publicly mentioning his desire to make amends in an interview with the BBC last May. During the interview he said: "I would love reconciliation with my family. There's no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious," adding he wanted their rift to come to an end as he did "not know how much longer my father has" after his cancer diagnosis.
Elsewhere in the interview, he was asked whether he missed the UK, to which he replied: "I love my country, I always have done, despite what some people in that country have done... and I think that it's really quite sad that I won't be able to show my children my homeland." Months after Harry's candid comments, the Duke reunited with his father at Clarence House for a 55-minute private tea, marking their first face-to-face meeting in 19 months.
Harry then spoke to The Guardian in the days after his meeting with Charles, in which he said he wanted to visit his father more often, saying: "The focus really has to be on my dad." Several months then passed before Harry was reunited with his father once more, as the father and son had a private meeting in Highgrove just weeks ago, when the Duke was in the UK to promote the one year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games, which will be taking place in Birmingham.
Harry and Charles were joined by Meghan, Archie, Lilibet and Queen Camilla for the family meeting, marking the first time the King had seen his grandchildren since 2022, when they were in the UK for the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. A royal source told the Mirror of their family meeting: "There's no doubt he [Harry] enjoyed his time in the UK with his family, especially getting the opportunity to see his father with his wife and children. The last few years have been incredibly emotional for him, and now he's reached a place where he wants to not only visit his home country more, but also would really like to be with his family."
The source added: "He's said before that he would like reconciliation with his family, so undoubtedly he's determined to make things work, and that means not doing anything to jeopardise that."
Introducing Archie and Lilibet to British Heritage
Harry has spoken previously about wanting his young children, Archie and Lilibet, to know more about their British heritage. Lilibet was born in the US, and has only made two trips to the UK in her life: firstly for the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022 just days before she turned one, and secondly in July for the Highgrove family meeting with King Charles. While Archie was born in the UK, he was just eight months old when the Sussexes quit their royal roles in January 2020.
In May, a friend of the Duke told the Daily Mail that Harry was "very sad" Archie and Lilibet are "missing out on life with the rest of their family". The insider told the publication: "Harry feels his children are missing out on the extensive family network that their cousins are enjoying," in reference to the Prince and Princess of Wales' children, George, Charlotte and Louis. "Harry wants his children to have the very best education. He has retained his closest friendship group of confidants from his days at school at Ludgrove and Eton. He wants that for his own children... Archie and Lili are having a lovely time in California, but Harry is very sad that they are missing out on life with the rest of their family."
When Harry was in London for last year's WellChild Awards, when he reunited with the King at Clarence House, a friend of the Duke said she was quizzed about her life in the UK. Harry caught up with singer Joss Stone at the awards, who attended Harry and Meghan's 2018 wedding in Windsor. Joss told Hello magazine: "He also asked about how we were settling back in and was genuinely interested in our move home. He's just very warm and down to earth, as always. Maybe Harry will move back too. That would be nice." He was saying how wonderful the schools are here and how important community is for children, the singer added.
Security and Charity Work
For many years, one of Harry's main sticking points when discussing bringing his family to the UK is that of his taxpayer-funded police protection. The Duke's level of security changed in 2020 when he and Meghan stepped down as working royals and moved to California. In May 2025, he lost his appeal over the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office for the decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of protection when in the UK. After the defeat of his Court of Appeal challenge, he told the BBC that he "can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK" as they would not automatically be entitled to police protection.
It is believed one key reason behind Harry and Meghan's move back to the UK is for the Duke to be more involved in his charity work that he is passionate about in his home country. Harry dedicates much of his time to UK-based charities, including WellChild, the HALO Trust, Scotty's Little Soldiers, and his own Invictus charity. Much of Harry's time is no doubt dedicated to preparing for the 2027 Invictus Games, which will be taking place in Birmingham over several days in July. The Mirror previously reported that Harry is hoping to appear publicly with Charles at next year's Invictus Games in Birmingham, with the organisers planning to invite the King to take part in either the opening or closing ceremony as well as visiting a range of sporting events to meet competitors. A royal source said: "If the King were to attend the Invictus Games next year, and appear in public with him, it would be a huge moment for all of them. Harry wants the Birmingham Games to be the best ever, and it would be extra special to have all his family by his side, and that means the King as well."
