Harry and Meghan plan return to UK

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are planning to move back to the United Kingdom this month, more than six years after leaving royal duties and building a new life in California, the BBC reported.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex intend to relocate from the United States to a private, non-royal residence outside London, according to the BBC, which said the move was first reported by the Daily Telegraph and the Sun. Their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are enrolled to start at a British school in September.

King Charles III was told of the decision on Sunday, the BBC reported. Prince William and Princess Catherine have also been informed. There are no current plans for either Harry or Meghan to resume roles as working royals, and the BBC reported that the couple will remain private individuals with no expected change to their official status.

The BBC reported that the King had not known about the move before last weekend but welcomes the opportunity to see more of the Sussex family privately and personally.

The relocation would mark another major shift for Harry and Meghan, who announced in January 2020 that they would step back from “senior” royal roles and work to become financially independent from the royal family. At the time, they said a “geographic balance” would allow them to raise Archie “with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born,” while giving the family “the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.”

Buckingham Palace confirmed in February 2021 that the couple were no longer working members of the royal family. Their departure from royal duties and move to California fueled tensions with other members of the family, which deepened after their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.

In that interview, Meghan described conversations about Archie not receiving the title of prince and not having security. She also said there had been discussions while she was pregnant about “how dark” Archie’s skin color would be. Harry said he was “disappointed” with his father and that he and Prince William were “on different paths.”

Harry, Meghan and their children visited King Charles at Highgrove in July, the BBC reported. The Palace described the meeting at the King’s private home in Gloucestershire as a “private family occasion.” It was the first time the King had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years, according to the BBC, and the Sussexes had not been in the U.K. together since 2022, when they attended Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

The BBC reported that the planned move was not discussed during the July visit. That trip came amid continuing disputes over security for Harry and his family while in Britain. The BBC reported before the visit that Harry was reconsidering bringing Meghan and the children after his request for taxpayer-funded police protection was rejected by British authorities.

Last year, Harry lost a legal challenge over the level of security he and his family are entitled to receive in the U.K. The Duke of Sussex had sought to overturn a decision downgrading his security after he stopped being a working royal and moved to the United States. He has previously said safety concerns prevented him from coming to the U.K. and bringing his wife and children.