The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are returning to the UK, but the cause of their decision has not yet been established. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sent shockwaves around the world earlier this week when their plans to relocate to Britain were announced.
Harry and Meghan quit the Royal Family six years ago for a new life in America. It is understood that the couple will return to the UK later this month, making their home in a non-royal residence outside of London, and have already enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in British schools.
Security and reason remain unanswered
Decisions about whether taxpayers will foot the bill for their security remain unanswered, as does the exact reason for their relocation, with the Sussexes yet to comment publicly.
Now, a PR expert has given their own verdict as to why the couple have decided to take the drastic step of relocating back to the UK.
PR expert's verdict on the move
Renae Smith, founder of PR and branding agency The Atticism, told the Daily Express: “Let me start with the golden rule of my industry: people do things for their own benefit. Always.
“So whatever the official framing ends up being, the simple truth is that for some reason, Harry and Meghan have decided the UK now holds more opportunity for them than the US does.
“Nobody swaps Montecito sunshine for British drizzle out of sentiment. Something in their calculation has changed, and that is the real story here.”
Ms Smith went on to add that the public “simply do not know” what is driving this and went to speculate: “Perhaps Meghan is ready to try again properly. Perhaps Harry wants to be closer to royal life, or even wants a way back into it.
“Perhaps there is family news we are not privy to that makes being on the right side of the Atlantic suddenly matter. Any one of those would fully explain this decision, and the honest answer is that none of us on the outside know which it is.”
Preparation and royal reaction
However, she did say that such a decision would not have to be taken lightly and there likely was a huge amount of preparation for it. Ms Smith said: “This will have been discussed, negotiated and planned for a long time before we ever heard about it.”
The King, who is still living with cancer, was first made aware of the move on Sunday, only three days before it was made public, but is understood to welcome the opportunity to see more of the family both in a private and personal capacity. But their status will remain the same, with the couple not offered a “half-in-half-out” option regarding their roles.
The Sussexes’ decision raises the question of how the news will be met by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Neither Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace have made any statements.
