Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are preparing to move back to the United Kingdom from the United States by the end of August, according to British media reports. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to settle in a private, non-royal residence outside London after six years of living in California.
Reports from multiple British outlets on Wednesday, August 19, revealed that the couple's two children, seven-year-old Archie and five-year-old Lilibet, are already enrolled in a British school for the term starting in September. British tabloid newspaper The Sun greeted the news on Thursday morning with the front-page headline Coming Home, describing the move as a bombshell following years of public friction and accusations.
The Daily Telegraph reported that King Charles III was informed of his younger son's plans on Sunday. According to the British news agency PA, the King welcomed the prospect of seeing more of his family in a personal capacity. However, official sources noted that their status as private individuals will not change, as Harry and Meghan are no longer working members of the royal family.
The Prince of Wales and his wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, were also informed of the planned return, according to The Daily Telegraph. Prince William, who has experienced a prolonged fallout with his brother, had offered no public response by Wednesday evening. Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told GB News that any movement toward family reconciliation should be welcomed, though he cautioned that observers must wait to see how the situation develops.
Royal reconciliation and recent visits
The move comes after recent signs of a thaw in relations between Harry and his father. In a lengthy interview with the BBC in May 2025, the 41-year-old prince expressed a desire for family reconciliation and said he felt sadness that he could not show his homeland to his children.
On July 10, King Charles III and Queen Camilla hosted Harry, Meghan, and their two children in London, marking their first joint meeting in four years. Archie and Lilibet had not seen their grandfather in person since the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. Harry had previously returned to Britain on several occasions, visiting in February 2024 following the announcement of the King's cancer diagnosis and again in September 2025 for tea at Clarence House.
Royal departure and move to California
Harry and Meghan married in 2018 before announcing on Instagram in January 2020 that they intended to step back from their roles as senior working royals. After making their final public appearance alongside the royal family two months later, the couple moved briefly to Canada before purchasing a home in Montecito, California.
Tensions within the royal family had been simmering earlier, with Harry discussing difficulties with his brother in a 2019 television documentary and Meghan describing the pressures of royal life. The rift widened in 2023 when Harry published his memoir, Spare, which was strongly critical of William and Kate. Public opinion polls show the couple remains widely unpopular in the UK today.
Security issues and press lawsuits
A key practical concern surrounding the return involves personal security. When they stepped back from royal duties, the couple lost automatic taxpayer-funded police protection. Harry challenged the decision in court without success, creating a major point of friction with his family.
The prince has also launched legal actions against several British newspaper publishers over alleged illegal information gathering. During court proceedings in January against the publisher of the Daily Mail, an emotional Harry testified that British tabloids had made his wife's life infernal.
