Harry and Meghan’s Shock Return to the UK

Key Points

• Prince Harry and the Duke of Sussex, Meghan, are reportedly making their way back to the UK from the United States in weeks, six years after they quit working as a royal couple.
• The Telegraph said the pair plan to enter a private, non-royal home, which is thought to be outside London, at the end of the month.
• The couple’s children, who are aged seven and five, respectively, have already been admitted for the start of term at a British school, according to the BBC and other UK news outlets.
• King Charles III has been told on Sunday that his son and daughter-in-law are going to return, the Press Association reported.
• The King “welcomes the opportunity to see more of the family in a personal capacity” but the couple will retain their non-working royal status, a royal source told the Press Association.
• Harry has already said it was “impossible” to get his family back to Britain safely following a court battle over police protection that was paid for by the public, after losing the case.
• Britain’s protective security measures were “rigorous and proportionate”, the Home Office said.
• The move was “extraordinary,” the couple has “not done a good job of becoming Hollywood A-listers,” said Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, speaking to GB News.
• The Sun reported the Sussexes will retain their Montecito mansion in California as well as a property in Portugal.
• The news comes after Diana’s brother Charles Spencer revealed a book about his sister, which is expected to be released around the time of her death.

London (Britain Today News) — August 20, 2026 — Six years after stepping down as working members of the Royal Family, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are reportedly moving back to the United Kingdom within weeks, according to British press reports that emerged late on Wednesday.

Why Are Harry and Meghan Returning to the UK?

In what has been described as a surprise move, Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, and Meghan are said to be leaving the United States by the end of the month to settle into a new home. As reported by The Telegraph, the couple

“plan to leave the United States by the end of the month to settle in a private, non-royal residence, which is said to be located outside London.”

The report marks one of the most significant developments in the Sussexes’ relationship with Britain since they relocated to North America in 2020, and it has caught royal watchers largely off guard given the bitterness that has characterised much of the intervening period.

A Family Rift That Defined Six Years Abroad

Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, left the UK for North America in 2020 amid a bitter feud with his family, a rift that deepened considerably after Harry published his tell-all memoir, Spare. A subsequent no-holds-barred interview with the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey further widened the gulf between Harry and the rest of the Royal Family, setting the tone for years of strained relations.

Where Will the Duke and Duchess of Sussex Live?

According to The Telegraph’s reporting, the couple have already identified a new property, but it will not be one of the many official royal residences available to the family. The house is understood to be a private residence located outside London, rather than in the capital itself, allowing the couple to remain close to the royal family while maintaining a degree of separation from official royal life.

Have Archie and Lilibet Already Enrolled in a British School?

Several UK news outlets, including the BBC, reported that the couple’s two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, have already been enrolled in a British school in time for the start of the new academic year in early September. This detail has been widely seen as one of the clearest signs that the move is genuine and imminent, rather than speculative.

Harry and Meghan have lived in California since stepping back from royal duties in 2020, and it has been reported that the children had not seen their grandfather, King Charles, since 2022 — a gap of several years that has fuelled public interest in any signs of reconciliation.

What Has King Charles Said About Their Return?

The Press Association reported that the 77-year-old King had been made aware only on Sunday that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex planned to return to live in the UK. The monarch

“welcomes the opportunity to see more of the family in a personal capacity.”

though it stressed there would be no change in the couple’s formal status, and they would still not resume duties as working royals.

The distinction is understood to be significant to the Palace, which has sought to maintain a clear line between family reconciliation and any restoration of official royal responsibilities to Harry and Meghan.

Why Did Harry Say It Was Unsafe to Bring His Family Back to Britain?

Harry has previously said he did not feel safe bringing his family to Britain after losing a court battle over government-funded police protection.

“It’s impossible for me to take my family back to the UK safely.”

He said last year following the ruling, a statement that has been widely cited as the central obstacle standing between the family and a full-time return.

The Legal Battle Over Police Protection

The dispute centred on Harry’s removal from the highest tier of publicly funded protective security after he stepped down as a working royal, a decision he unsuccessfully challenged through the courts. The ruling left Harry arguing that any return to the UK would place his wife and children at risk, a position that had, until now, appeared to rule out a permanent relocation.

What Has the Home Office Said About Royal Security?

Responding to the reports, a Home Office spokesperson said Britain’s protective security system was “rigorous and proportionate,” adding that decisions on such matters are taken by a committee whose members include the Home Office, the Metropolitan Police and the royal household. The statement did not directly address whether Harry’s security arrangements had changed, but it was widely interpreted as a signal that the government stood by its earlier decision-making process.

Is This Return Linked to Harry and Meghan’s July Visit to the UK?

The development follows a short visit Harry and Meghan paid to the UK with their children in early July, during which they held a private meeting with King Charles. Harry has said he wants to reconcile with his father, who was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and has been receiving treatment since, although the specific type of cancer has never been disclosed.

Even the run-up to that July trip was not without difficulty. Media outlets had quoted sources close to Harry as saying the prince would be staying at Buckingham Palace during his visit, only for the Palace to issue a denial of those claims — an episode that underlined how sensitive and closely scrutinised even the smallest details of the family’s interactions remain.

Why Are Harry and William Still Estranged?

It remains unclear whether Harry’s older brother and heir to the throne, Prince William, and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, have been informed of the planned return. The two brothers have become estranged in recent years and are reported to no longer speak, a rift that has persisted despite periodic speculation about a possible thaw.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams offered a blunt assessment of the situation when speaking to GB News television, describing it as “an extraordinary development.” He went further, suggesting a possible motive behind the timing of the move:

“My first thought frankly is… they failed to make it in the US… essentially they failed to be A-listers in Hollywood.”

Has Their Hollywood Career Struggled?

The Netflix Deal and Its Aftermath

While Harry and Meghan signed a major deal with Netflix in 2020, reportedly worth an unconfirmed $100 million, many of their subsequent projects have struggled to win over audiences in the way that was originally anticipated. The scale of that first agreement had positioned the couple as significant players in the entertainment industry, but critical and commercial reception to their output has been mixed.

A new agreement signed with the streaming giant in August 2025 represented a considerably looser arrangement than the original deal, described at the time as a “multi-year, first look deal” rather than the sweeping content partnership first announced.
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Will the Sussexes Keep Their US and Portugal Homes?

The Sun newspaper reported that the couple would retain their Montecito home in California, as well as a property in Portugal, where they are believed to have spent some of their holiday time this summer. This suggests that, despite the planned relocation, Harry and Meghan are not severing all ties with their life in the United States, and may continue to divide their time across continents.

What Did Charles Spencer Reveal About Princess Diana?

The news of the couple’s return — following what British tabloids dubbed “Megxit” at the time of their painful departure from royal life — emerged the day after Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, revealed he had written a new book about his sister’s life.

Harry has long blamed the media for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while attempting to evade paparazzi. Spencer’s new book, titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, is due to be published in Britain and other countries on 22 September, and will be translated into twelve languages.

Explaining his decision to write the book, Spencer, 62, said:

“With the 30th anniversary of Diana’s tragic death on the skyline, I’ve been inundated yet again with requests for interviews about my sister.”

He added:

“This has convinced me to write down my own thoughts and memories, once and for all.”

Noting that many existing opinions about his sister were “based on untruths that have become accepted over time.”

A Close Bond With Diana’s Sons

Spencer has remained close to both of his nephews over the years, and Harry, Meghan and their children reportedly visited the earl’s ancestral home at Althorp, in central England, during their early July trip, where they were said to have visited Diana’s grave — a visit that now appears to have coincided with early preparations for the couple’s fuller return to British life.