Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Set for UK Return This Month With Archie and Lilibet

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly preparing to move back to Britain within days, marking a dramatic change for the Sussex family six years after they left the UK for a new life in North America.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to be returning for an “extended period” before the end of August. Their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are expected to enrol at a British school when the new term begins in September.

Despite the significance of the move, Harry and Meghan are not planning to resume life as working royals. The family is expected to live in a private, non-royal residence, while their exact location will remain confidential.

King Charles informed only days before news emerged

The decision appears to have come as a surprise within royal circles.

King Charles was reportedly informed by Harry on Sunday that the family intended to return later this month. Prince William and Princess Kate have also been told of the plans.

The King is understood to “welcome” the prospect of spending more time with Harry and his family privately. However, his position regarding the Sussexes’ official status remains unchanged.

There will reportedly be “no alteration” to Harry and Meghan’s roles as private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family, consistent with the arrangements established after they stepped back from royal duties.

Sources have similarly stressed that returning to the royal fold is not part of the Sussexes’ plans.

Significantly, the subject of moving back to Britain was reportedly not raised when Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet met Charles at Highgrove earlier this summer.

Archie and Lilibet preparing for British school

One of the clearest signs that this is more than a brief visit is the reported plan for Archie and Lilibet to begin school in Britain in September.

Harry had already been expected back in the country next month for the WellChild Awards, with arrangements reportedly made for him to stay at Buckingham Palace.

Those plans are no longer necessary because the entire Sussex family is now believed to be returning within the next two weeks.

It remains unclear whether the relocation will ultimately become permanent. According to reports, the family intends to spend an extended period in Britain before determining its longer-term plans.

For privacy reasons, neither their new home nor the children’s school has been disclosed.

Sussexes will keep their California home

A return to Britain does not mean Harry and Meghan are completely leaving their American life behind.

The couple reportedly intend to retain their £11 million mansion in Montecito, California, where they have lived since relocating permanently to the United States in March 2020.

They also own a property in Portugal, purchased three years ago at the Costa Terra resort.

The family visited the Portuguese property last month, with Meghan sharing photographs from the trip featuring beaches, swimming pools and restaurants.

Maintaining homes in California and Portugal would give the Sussexes considerable flexibility even if Britain becomes their principal base for the immediate future.

Six years since their dramatic royal exit

Harry and Meghan’s reported return comes six years after their decision to step back as senior working royals sent shockwaves through the monarchy.

The couple, who married in 2018, announced their decision without first consulting then-Prince Charles, Camilla or Prince William, prompting intense criticism at the time.

Following a 12-month review, Queen Elizabeth II confirmed that Harry and Meghan could not continue with the “responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service” while pursuing their new independent lives.

The arrangement also ruled out the “half in, half out” model the couple had initially hoped to pursue. Harry subsequently lost his honorary military appointments.

After spending time on Vancouver Island in Canada, the Sussexes settled permanently in California in March 2020.

Controversy followed their departure

The years surrounding the Sussexes’ exit were accompanied by considerable controversy over their relationship with Palace staff.

Reports emerged that Meghan had been nicknamed “Duchess Difficult,” while allegations were made that some employees had experienced bullying and had been reduced to tears.

Meghan strongly denied the claims and characterised their publication as part of an orchestrated smear campaign against her.

Royal correspondent Valentine Low, who first reported the bullying allegations in March 2021 shortly before Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, later claimed that some former staff members remained deeply affected by their experiences.

According to Low, employees had already been aware of reports suggesting difficult relations between Meghan and members of staff, while Meghan herself had challenged that portrayal.

He further claimed that some former Sussex employees remained in a “very fragile state” more than two years later and feared potential repercussions despite Harry and Meghan having relocated thousands of miles away.

Harry and William’s relationship remains strained

Harry’s departure from royal life was followed by a significant deterioration in his relationships with both his father and his elder brother.

His relationship with Prince William is believed to remain particularly difficult.

The brothers are not thought to have spoken for years, while William and Kate were reportedly deeply hurt by claims made in Harry’s memoir Spare and other public appearances.

Royal author Phil Dampier previously noted that William and Harry had managed to put their differences aside when they unveiled a statue of Princess Diana five years ago, but suggested the relationship had since deteriorated further.

Dampier said he believed William would now struggle to meet Harry even for an occasion honouring their late mother.

With the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death approaching next year, such an occasion could theoretically offer another opportunity for the brothers to appear together, although Dampier expressed doubts that William would want to do so.

According to him, William is focused on his future with Catherine and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

A recent reunion with King Charles

Relations between Harry and his father, however, have shown signs of movement.

Harry has reportedly missed Britain and has been described as keen for Archie and Lilibet to experience life in his home country.

Only last month, Harry, Meghan and their children reunited privately with Charles, four years after the King had last seen Archie and Lilibet.

The Sussex family was welcomed by Charles and Camilla at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, a meeting viewed as a potential step toward repairing Harry’s relationship with his father.

Charles and Camilla had both faced criticism in Harry’s 2023 memoir, but the Duke travelled to see his father the following year after the King’s cancer diagnosis became public.

Harry is also said to hope that Charles will join him in opening next summer’s Invictus Games, something that could become another significant moment in their relationship. Whether that will happen remains unknown.

A very different kind of return

If the reported move proceeds as expected, Harry and Meghan will return to Britain under circumstances very different from those they left behind six years ago.

They will not resume official royal duties, nor is there currently any suggestion that their status within the monarchy will change.

Instead, their return is expected to centre on private family life, with Archie and Lilibet beginning school in Britain while Harry and Meghan establish a non-royal home.

The couple will retain their Montecito mansion and Portuguese residence, leaving open the possibility that their living arrangements could continue to evolve.

For now, however, the most significant change is expected within weeks: after six years building their lives abroad, Harry and Meghan are reportedly preparing to bring their children back to Britain and make the UK their home for an extended period.