Harry and Meghan’s UK Return Faces Fresh Doubts Over Their Future in Britain

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have only recently returned to Britain, but questions are already being raised over how long they intend to stay.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved back to the UK last month, six years after leaving the country to build an independent life in the United States. The couple are now living at a private home somewhere outside London, although the exact reason for their return has not been publicly confirmed.

According to Dickie Arbiter, a former Press Secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth II, Harry’s lack of a formal role within the Royal Family could ultimately influence whether the Sussexes remain in Britain for the long term.

‘There ain’t no job for you’

Speaking on Vanessa Feltz’s YouTube programme, At Home with Vanessa, Arbiter suggested Harry may have hoped that returning to the UK could eventually allow him to rebuild his position within the Royal Family.

“I think he [Harry] thinks that he might be able to work around his father to get him back in the fold,” Arbiter said.

However, he argued that King Charles has already made his position clear.

“But his father’s made it very clear there ain’t no job for you. You’re on your own, son.”

Arbiter linked the situation directly to the agreement reached following the 2020 Sandringham Summit, when Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties and chose to become financially independent.

The 2020 decision remains central

Arbiter said Harry had effectively been reminded that the arrangements agreed in 2020 had not changed.

“Well, he got a comeuppance when he was told that nothing had changed from the 2020 Sandringham Summit, in January of that year, that he’s not a working royal,” he said.

“He chose to opt out, he chose to be financially independent and he’s not a working royal.”

The comments come as the Sussexes begin a new chapter of family life in Britain, with Archie and Lilibet now attending school in the country.

Their return, however, has not brought them back into official royal life. The couple remain outside the working Royal Family, meaning their presence in Britain does not represent a return to their former positions.

For Arbiter, that distinction could prove significant. While Harry and Meghan have chosen to make Britain their home again, the circumstances surrounding their return remain very different from the life they had before stepping away from royal duties.

With the couple now settling into their new life outside London, the question of whether their return is permanent remains open.