Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to the UK this month, but not all of their family pets are expected to make the journey across the Atlantic. The couple's two rescue dogs, a black Labrador Retriever named Pula and a Beagle called Mia, are believed to be relocating with them, while their flock of factory-farm chickens is likely to remain in California.
The Sussexes recently confirmed their return to the UK after six years in the USA. Their children, seven-year-old Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, five, are enrolled to start at a British school in September, though the location of the family's new home has not been disclosed.
Chickens to stay in Montecito
As reported by Hello! magazine, the dogs will move to the UK with the family, but the chickens are unlikely to make the journey. They will reportedly be looked after by staff at the family's current home in Montecito.
The chickens are housed in a backyard coop named "Archie's Chick Inn", which was shown during Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. One of the chickens, called Sinkie, was formerly owned by Ellen DeGeneres before being rehomed to the Sussexes' coop in early 2024. Relocating the chickens from the US to the UK is not considered practical.
Archie's close bond with the hens
The move is likely to upset Prince Archie in particular, who is very close with the chickens. He was previously described as being "positively obsessed" and a "gentle soul" with the family's rescued hens. The coop is named directly after him, and the young prince has been photographed and filmed taking care of the birds, wearing wellies and carrying a wicker basket to collect eggs during feeding time.
Meanwhile, Pula, whose name means "rain" in Setswana, and Mia, adopted from the Beagle Freedom Project in August 2022, will move to the UK with the family, offering the children comfort as they relocate later this month.
