Meghan Markle and Prince Harry told their friends in the US that "it wasn't a goodbye forever" ahead of their return to the UK, according to US media reports.
A source told People magazine that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent the weekend before the move in Montecito with close friends and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland. The unnamed source said: "It wasn't a goodbye forever. It was much more, 'We'll be back, but this is what we're doing right now'."
Planned return for the family
The source said Harry and Meghan had been planning their UK return for some time, feel it is the right thing to do for the family, but it "doesn't mean leaving was easy".
A private jet carrying Harry and Meghan landed at Birmingham Airport on Wednesday along with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who are due to start at British schools in September. The family is said to be settling in the UK for an "extended period" of time, but not permanently, with the Cotswolds suggested as their most likely new home.
Excitement about the future
People's source told the publication that Meghan "really loves" life in Montecito and the Sussexes' home there. They said the Sussexes realise it will take "a little bit of time" for the family to adjust, but there is "excitement" about the future too, particularly for Archie and Lilibet. The source said: "They're really happy for them and for everything they'll get to experience."
A person described as an "ally" of Meghan's said while the Duchess was "vocal" about the UK last time she lived in the country, it doesn't mean things will be "exactly the same again". They suggested it doesn't mean things can't be different this time around.
Past comments and future plans
In an interview in 2019, Meghan told ITV's Tom Bradby that British friends had warned her at the start of her relationship with Harry that the tabloids would "destroy" her life. Meghan said she tried to adopt a "stiff upper lip" mentality, but that was "probably really damaging". She also said she had later felt "vulnerable" as a new mum. In a later interview with Oprah Winfrey, she said there was "little" she was allowed to do during her stay in the UK and that bred loneliness for someone who came from "such a full life".
While Meghan and Harry have returned to the UK, they will not become working royals again. Questions remain as to how long they will stay in Britain. Some reports have hinted the family will only remain for the autumn, while others said Harry planned to live in the UK for the next 12 to 15 years to give his children a British education. Harry and Meghan quit the monarchy six years ago, relocating to the US from where they criticised members of the Royal Family and the institution.
