Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's return to the UK could lead to "legal implications" for their children if one thing were to take place. Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are relocating to the UK within days alongside their parents, with the shock news revealed just a day ago.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down from royal duties in 2020, leading to their move to California. The couple have since lived in Montecito, raising their children away from the constraints of the Royal Family. Although the couple are moving back to the UK for an extended period, they will not be returning as working royals.
Legal Expert Warns of Potential Complications
Speaking to the Daily Express, the news of their return could cause legal problems for their children if the pair were to ever part ways. There have been no confirmed reports of marriage problems between Harry and Meghan, but one legal expert has revealed that the move to the UK could affect their children if anything were to ever happen between the Sussexes.
James Legg of IMD told the Express: "If Harry and Meghan were to return to the UK with Archie and Lilibet on a permanent basis, it wouldn't just be a change of home or school. Over time, it could have legal implications, especially if the marriage ever ends."
Adjustment and Jurisdiction Concerns
Legg added: "Archie and Lilibet have spent much of their childhood in California, so we would expect a move to the UK to be a significant adjustment. They would potentially be leaving behind their school, friends and familiar routines and starting again here. From a child's point of view, maintaining as much stability as possible would be important."
He explained further: "Legally, things could become more complicated if the family settled here and Harry and Meghan were then to separate at some point in the future. If the children became habitually resident in England, the English courts could potentially have jurisdiction over decisions concerning them. This could mean one parent couldn't necessarily simply decide to take the children back to America."
International Moves and Family Ties
Legg elaborated: "That is the part people often don't appreciate about international moves. You might move as a family intending to stay together, but if circumstances change a year or two down the line, the legal position may also change. It doesn't happen the moment you step off the plane, and there isn't a magic number of weeks or months after which a child becomes habitually resident here. The court would look at the reality of the children's lives and how settled they had become."
He concluded: "For Archie and Lilibet, there is another layer because they have close family connections in Britain as well as an established life in America. If they did move here, maintaining those relationships on both sides of the Atlantic would inevitably need some thought."
