Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to return to the United Kingdom with their children, as confirmed by Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. The Telegraph and The Sun were the first to report this development. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their children Prince Archie, aged 7, and Princess Lilibet, aged 5, will be relocating to the UK but will maintain their status as private individuals, according to the Palace. While the exact date of their return was not disclosed, media sources suggest it will be in time for the children to commence school in September.
The decision to move back comes after Prince Harry and Meghan stepped back from their full-time royal duties in March 2020 and subsequently left the UK, eventually settling in California after a brief stay in Canada. The couple’s relationship with the Royal Family soured as they publicly criticized the monarchy and certain family members. In particular, Prince Harry’s remarks about his father and brother, Prince William, strained their relationship to the point of breakdown.
During an interview on The Late, Late Show with James Corden in February 2021, Prince Harry revealed the challenges they faced and his determination to prioritize his family’s well-being. Despite expressing frustration over changes to his security arrangements by the British government, which affected his ability to bring his children to the UK, Prince Harry emphasized that he never intended to “walk away.”
In a separate legal battle, Prince Harry was part of a group of prominent British figures who lost privacy lawsuits against the publisher of The Daily Mail in July. He testified that the newspaper had caused significant distress to Meghan. Following the court ruling, Prince Harry criticized the decision, labeling it a “complete whitewash” and expressing disappointment in the court’s exoneration of the newspaper.
Relations between Prince Harry and his father, King Charles, showed signs of improvement in September when they met for the first time in nearly two years. The entire family visited Britain in July, allowing King Charles to reunite with his grandchildren. The Palace noted that King Charles supported Prince Harry’s decision to relocate the family and looked forward to spending more time with them in a personal context.
King Charles, who is 77 years old, underwent treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer in early 2024. Following a positive response to treatment, doctors transitioned his care to a precautionary phase in December, indicating a hopeful outlook for his health.