Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship with Netflix is being "wound down" as the streaming giant is preparing to work on projects with other members of the Royal Family, an insider has revealed.
The bombshell news comes after it emerged that the couple would move back to the UK later this month with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
Netflix Relationship Winding Down
An industry source told Express: "The future of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry is pretty much clear. Their relationship with Netflix is little by little being wound down because the streaming giant is making content with the Palace.
"King Charles has an upcoming documentary with Idris Elba that will air later this year. The Palace would not agree to have the doc aired on Netflix if the company was going to be making more shows with Harry and Meghan.
"If this doc goes well, don't be surprised if we see other Royals documenting their charitable endeavours."
Return to the UK
Meghan and Harry will make their home in a private, non-royal residence outside London, and have already enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in British schools.
The King, who continues to battle cancer, was first informed of the move on Sunday, just three days before it was announced publicly, but is understood to welcome the chance to spend more time with the family on both a private and personal basis.
Their status will nonetheless remain unchanged, with the couple not being offered a "half-in-half-out" arrangement regarding their roles. The Sussexes' decision raises the question of how the news will be received by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
William – a future king – remains estranged from his brother following Harry's string of allegations against the prince, Kate, the King and Queen Camilla in the years since the Megxit crisis of 2020.
Reactions and Public Opinion
Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt suggested the unexpected return has likely left William "apoplectic".
Mr Hunt said: "In the long term, the return of the Sussexes to the UK opens up the prospect of two rival courts, William's and Harry's. In the short term, Harry will be able to deepen his rapprochement with his father.
"And his presence back home will make it harder for his brother to duck a reconciliation. The surprise return of Harry and Meghan is likely to have left William apoplectic."
The development is also set to ignite debate over how the British public will respond to the dramatic U-turn, following the barrage of criticism the Sussexes have levelled at the Royal Family and the monarchy as an institution.
A YouGov poll conducted last month revealed that just 22% of Britons view Meghan favourably, while 65% hold a negative opinion of the former actress; 33% regard Harry positively and 58% unfavourably.
The Telegraph and Sun – both of which broke the story on Wednesday evening – reported that Archie, seven, and Lili, five, will begin at their new schools in September.
The Sussexes will keep their properties in Montecito, California, and Portugal, while the duchess will continue to operate her lifestyle brand As Ever from their new base.
Background and Security
Harry and former Suits star Meghan, who wed at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in May 2018, were once celebrated as part of the "Fab Four" alongside the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
However, in March 2019, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Harry and Meghan would establish their own household, severing ties with the joint operation they had shared with William and Kate, amid widespread reports of tensions between the two couples.
In January 2020, the duke and duchess declared their intention to step back as "senior" members of the Royal Family, achieve financial independence, continue supporting Elizabeth II, while dividing their time between the UK and North America. The late Queen ruled at the Sandringham Summit, which was convened to resolve the crisis, that the couple could not be half in and half out.
By March 2020, the pair had established a permanent residence in California, formally stepped back from their roles as senior royals and ceased using their HRH titles.
The startling announcement arrives fewer than two months after the duke was seeking a means to safely bring his wife and children to the UK to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham.
At the end of June, he was still awaiting a review by the Risk Management Board (RMB), part of the process by which the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) determines his security needs, with him and his protection team working behind the scenes to ensure the visit could go ahead safely.
Meghan was able to travel to the UK in July with Archie and Lilibet to join Harry when he concluded a week-long series of events promoting the games.
During the trip, the duke and duchess took their children to visit the King for the first time in four years at his Highgrove residence, though the prospect of a return to the UK is not believed to have been raised at that encounter.
The Invictus Games are scheduled to take place from July 10-27 next year, with Birmingham set to welcome approximately 550 wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, along with their families, from 25 nations.
On Wednesday evening, a Home Office spokesperson stated: "The UK Government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate.
"It is our longstanding policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security.
"The Home Secretary plays no role in determining security arrangements for members of the Royal Family or other prominent public figures; such decisions instead fall to the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures.
The committee comprises representatives from the Home Office, Metropolitan Police and the royal household, who collaborate to advise the independent chair in reaching decisions, which are guided by expert risk assessments and in accordance with Government policy.
Harry was attending an event in Washington Det Con on Wednesday with US military veterans, where he urged that the skills of former service personnel deserved far greater recognition.
A spokesman for the duke and duchess has yet to comment.
