Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly considering a return to the UK, with friends describing the idea as a "plan to reverse Megxit". After years of building a life in the United States, the Sussexes are said to be looking at ways to reconnect with Harry's English roots and improve their negative image in Britain.
Return not permanent or imminent
A return to the UK is reportedly being contemplated in some form, although it is not considered permanent or imminent. The couple's holiday home in Portugal is expected to be used as a staging post. Sources claim that both Harry and Meghan have started to feel unwelcome in the USA. Trying to reconnect with Harry's English side - for them as well as their two children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five - is now said to be a priority.
One view is that Harry would need to stand up to Meghan and plead, "I want to go home", although the idea is reportedly something he really wants and Meghan might be coming round to.
Meeting with King Charles
The reported change in direction follows the family meeting at Highgrove House, Harry's childhood home, with the King and Queen last month. The meeting was considered a major step for the Sussexes, coming after four years without Charles spending time with his grandchildren. But the significance of the meeting reportedly went beyond the King seeing Archie and Lilibet.
It also came against the backdrop of the wounds caused by the Oprah Winfrey interview, Harry's memoir Spare, the series Harry & Meghan on Netflix, and the court actions against the Home Office.
Reversing Megxit
The Sussexes are now thought to be seeking to reverse Megxit. The end of their deals with Spotify and Netflix are considered by experts to play a part, as is Meghan's reported fading popularity among her supporters, like Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
A friend says, "England is where Harry's heart has always lain. It is no secret that they went to the States to try and seek their fortune, to try to capitalise on his fame and his royalty to some degree. They have had successes. A $100 million Netflix deal is not nothing… But that American dream is cooling and she perhaps feels an outcast status as well."
The reported discussions do not amount to a permanent or imminent return to the UK, sources say. However, the Express understands the suggestion that Harry wants to return to Britain is being viewed as a significant development.
Mixed reactions
Another source, who is less sympathetic to the Sussexes, believes a different kind of change may lie behind the manoeuvres. The source said, "I don't think Harry has ever wanted to be estranged from his family. I think in the early days he could be blind enough to choose life in the States with Meghan. Now things are different, and the veil is lifting."
The claims do not suggest that Harry and Meghan are splitting up, reports Woman and Home. Instead, they suggest that Harry may no longer be prepared to do everything Meghan wants to do whereas previously, Harry is thought to have done everything she's wanted to do. The meeting with Charles therefore represents a major test for the Sussexes, states the source.
When Harry and Meghan previously introduced Lili to the late Queen in 2022, during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, they reportedly asked if they could bring a trusted photographer, but this was understood to have been denied. There has been no briefing from either Team Sussex or Buckingham Palace on what took place at Highgrove over tea - and certainly no photographs.
Future engagements
According to Woman and Home, Harry will be back next month for another charity event, when another father-son meeting is expected. All eyes will then be on the Invictus Games in Birmingham next summer. It has been suggested the Sussexes would like their children to take part in some of the public engagements, while the King will also be invited.
Meghan's team let it be known to a friendly US newspaper that she had felt "sadness" at not attending any of the Invictus events last month. The fact that the chaos over their security arrangements was hashed out in public also left her feeling "humiliated" reports the newspaper. However it has been pointed out, her visit with the children did disprove Harry's much-repeated complaint that it was too dangerous to bring his family to the UK without the gun-carrying Met officers he so desperately wants.
Harry is not a working royal, but the question remains over whether he actually wants to be one after all. One view is that he wants the best bits of being royal (popularity, adoration, being able to help) without the onerous duty.
The possibility of a return to Britain remains neither permanent nor imminent, but the reported desire to reconnect with Harry's English roots and reverse Megxit could prove significant for the Sussexes and their relationship with the Royal Family.
