LONDON – A new report from Britain’s Daily Telegraph has revealed a major shift in the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, who are planning to move back to the United Kingdom after nearly six years of living abroad. Crucially, the couple has made clear they will not step back into their former positions as working members of the British royal family, ending ongoing speculation about a potential full return to royal duties.
According to the Telegraph, which first broke the story to the public, King Charles III was only notified of the couple’s decision this past Sunday. Notably, the monarch was not informed of the plan during Harry and Meghan’s visit to the UK earlier in 2024, leaving senior palace figures unaware of the final choice until recently.
Two key details point to the permanence of the couple’s relocation: their two young children, 7-year-old Prince Archie and 5-year-old Princess Lilibet, have already completed enrollment at British schools and are set to begin their first academic terms this coming September. This move marks a dramatic reversal of the path the couple took in 2018, when they stepped away from official royal responsibilities and relocated to Montecito, California, in search of financial independence and private life away from strict royal protocols. During their time in the U.S., the pair signed high-value media and production deals with major streaming platforms, building their own independent brand outside the monarchy.
For King Charles III, who publicly announced his diagnosis with an undisclosed form of cancer earlier this year and is currently ongoing treatment, the return of the couple and their children is expected to create far more opportunities for him to spend time with his two youngest grandchildren, a change that comes at a significant moment for the royal family’s private dynamics.