The Duke of Sussex has explained that relocating his family back to Britain was not a long-planned move, but rather a last-minute decision made when "certain stars align." Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, along with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, returned to the UK in August.
The move appeared sudden, with the family reportedly deciding shortly before a private jet brought them back to Britain. King Charles was said to have been informed just a few days before their arrival, with no mention of a potential relocation when he met the family a month earlier at Highgrove.
What prompted the sudden move?
While most relocations of this scale take months or even years to plan, that was not the case for the royal couple. Although they had considered the move for some time, the actual decision was sudden, driven by "opportunities" at that moment.
Speaking to GQ about the UK relocation, Harry said: "It's something that we've thought about, and we've considered. But for us, when certain stars align, and it's clear that this should or probably will end up being the case, then we lean into that."
He added: "To actually have my whole family there with me, the place that I grew up, wanting to be able to show my kids where I grew up and have them have the experiences to some extent that I had, the good rather than necessarily the bad, provided real proper serious thinking as to: 'This is an opportunity, let's do it now.'"
Children settling into UK life
Harry also highlighted that "opportunities for the family," including sending his young children to UK schools, were a major factor behind the move. He said: "I didn't know how important it was to me."
"I always thought it was going to be something that we would try and do, but now they've been in school for two weeks. They're loving it, and it's just giving them a whole different experience," he explained.
"I'm not criticising American schools. But I think for kids at seven and five, to be able to have that comparison and to have two completely different cultural experiences is so important today."
"But yeah: To be back closer to my family and to be back on UK soil for longer than a few days or a week here or there. It's nice to be back."
While Harry and Meghan have been seen publicly since their return, Archie and Lilibet have not. Instead, the children have only appeared in videos and photographs that Meghan posts on her Instagram, including clips of them on walks, riding bikes, cosying up near a log fire, and fishing. They are believed to be fully settled into UK life and their new school, where they are day students.
