Harry and Meghan Prepare for a Dramatic UK Return — Six Years After Walking Away From Royal Life
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are preparing to return to Britain with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, six years after stepping down as working royals and relocating to the United States.
The Sussexes are expected to arrive back in the UK at the end of August for what has been described as “an extended period”. Their children are also expected to begin attending school in Britain in September.
The move marks a striking change for a couple who left the UK in 2020 and subsequently built a new life in California. It also raises fresh questions about their relationship with the Royal Family, their security arrangements and the future of the agreement that shaped their departure.
A return that reportedly surprised the King
Harry and Meghan have already secured a private home in Britain. The property is not a royal residence, and it remains unclear whether they have purchased it or are renting it.
King Charles was reportedly informed on Sunday that his son and daughter-in-law would be returning.
The announcement comes just weeks after Harry reunited with his father at Highgrove in Gloucestershire. Despite the apparent planning involved in the relocation, the couple did not raise the subject of moving back during that meeting with Charles and Queen Camilla.
The King, however, is understood to welcome the chance to spend more time with his family privately.
Harry had originally been expected to return to Britain in mid-September for events connected to his patronages, including the WellChild Awards. He would also have been offered accommodation at Buckingham Palace.
Instead, the entire Sussex family is now expected to arrive earlier, at the end of August.
Archie and Lilibet will attend British schools
The family is expected to remain in Britain while Archie and Lilibet are in education.
Archie, who is seven, is at Prep School age, while five-year-old Lilibet is eligible for Year One.
The Sussexes have not disclosed which schools the children will attend or exactly where the family will live, citing privacy and security concerns.
Reports that Archie had been registered at Eton College were previously denied by sources close to the family. Meanwhile, Prince William’s eldest son, George, 13, is due to begin at Eton next month.
Whatever schools Archie and Lilibet eventually attend, their move into the British education system represents one of the most significant aspects of Harry and Meghan’s return.
The couple will not become working royals
Despite their return, Harry and Meghan are not expected to resume life as working members of the Royal Family.
They will live in a private residence and continue their business activities. They are also understood not to be receiving money from the public purse, while Harry is not expected to carry out official royal duties.
Any discussion about a possible future role for Harry would have to take place directly between him and his father.
Their return therefore does not mean a restoration of the royal status they left behind in 2020.
Instead, the couple will continue their private commercial work while living in Britain.
They will also retain their £11 million property in Montecito, California, as well as their property in Portugal.
What happens to the ‘Megxit’ agreement?
The move has inevitably raised questions about the January 2020 Sandringham Agreement, widely associated with the term “Megxit”.
The agreement established that Harry and Meghan could not occupy a position halfway between working royals and private individuals while simultaneously earning money from the private sector.
Their return to Britain, however, is not being presented as a return to royal duties.
The couple are expected to remain financially independent and outside the working Royal Family.
King Charles had already made the position clear in his September 2022 accession speech, when he confirmed that Harry and Meghan were no longer part of the working monarchy.
Security remains one of the biggest unanswered questions
The couple will not be working royals but will continue with their business enterprises Credit: Getty
Perhaps the most complicated issue surrounding the move is security.
Harry has spent years arguing that it would be unsafe to bring his family back to Britain without adequate protection.
He launched a lengthy legal battle after losing his automatic entitlement to 24-hour armed police protection following his decision to step down as a working royal and move overseas.
After suffering what he described as a “devastating” court defeat 18 months ago, Harry said:
“I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”
Yet that is now precisely what the family is preparing to do.
It remains unclear whether the Home Office’s position on the Sussexes’ security has changed.
Harry previously lost a judicial review and an appeal over his protection arrangements. A further Government review was later ordered after he won a new review process, although the threat assessment has been delayed.
The system is reportedly already facing a backlog, with nine former prime ministers also waiting for protection decisions.
Whether Harry will automatically receive the level of protection he had before Megxit remains unknown.
A Government spokesperson said its protective security system is “rigorous and proportionate” and reiterated the long-standing policy of not publicly discussing detailed security arrangements.
A private home — but where?
The exact location of the Sussexes’ new British home remains a closely guarded secret.
One possible area is the Cotswolds, which is popular with American celebrities and other high-profile figures seeking privacy. The region is also close to King Charles’s Highgrove estate.
Another possible consideration could be proximity to Althorp House in Northamptonshire, the childhood home of Princess Diana and the location of her grave.
The Sussexes have already visited Diana’s grave during their recent UK trip.
For the moment, however, neither the location of the family’s new home nor the precise security arrangements surrounding it have been disclosed.
A striking change from Harry’s previous comments about Britain
The decision to return is particularly notable given Harry and Meghan’s public criticism of Britain and royal life since their departure.
Harry has previously spoken about his complicated feelings toward the UK and London.
In 2008, while serving in Afghanistan, he said: “I generally don’t like England that much.”
Years later, during the 2021 Apple TV+ series The Me You Can’t See, he described returning to Britain as a source of anxiety and said London was a “trigger” because of what happened to his mother.
The couple also made serious claims about their experiences within the Royal Family during their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Harry later described his royal upbringing in a Dax Shepard podcast as a combination of “The Truman Show” and being “in a zoo”.
He said leaving Britain was an attempt to break what he viewed as a cycle of “pain and suffering” within his family.
His 2023 memoir Spare went further, revealing details of family disagreements, including a confrontation with Prince William. Harry also recalled his father pleading with him and William not to make his final years miserable following Prince Philip’s funeral.
He also revealed that he had asked Charles not to marry Camilla.
Meghan’s business plans remain outside the UK
While living back in Britain, Meghan is expected to continue running her food and lifestyle brand, As Ever.
What else she intends to do during the family’s time in Britain is less clear.
She currently has no announced UK-based projects or campaigns mentioned in the report.
The Royal Family has also said little publicly about how Harry and Meghan’s return will work in practice.
From Megxit to a new chapter
Harry and Meghan’s return comes more than six years after they stepped away from their royal roles.
Their timeline has been marked by a series of major turning points:
- May 19, 2018: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle marry.
- March 2019: The palace announces that the couple will establish their own household.
- January 2020: Harry and Meghan announce plans to step back as senior royals and enter the Sandringham Agreement.
- March 2020: They attend their final official engagement as working royals at Commonwealth Service Day before moving to California.
- March 2021: Their Oprah Winfrey interview airs.
- December 2022: Their Netflix documentary is released, including their comments about the Commonwealth.
- January 2023: Harry publishes Spare, making a series of revelations about his family and criticising the British press.
- February 2024: Charles is diagnosed with cancer after the disease is detected during his prostate operation.
- September 2025: Harry reunites with his father in their first face-to-face meeting since Charles’s cancer diagnosis.
- June 2026: Harry, Meghan and their children visit Britain, including Diana’s childhood home.
- August 2026: The Sussexes’ return to Britain is announced.
After years of building a life thousands of miles from the UK, Harry and Meghan are now preparing to establish themselves there once again — but this time as private citizens rather than working royals.
And with their children entering British schools, their return appears set to be more than a short visit.