After six years of living abroad following their 2020 exit from senior royal roles, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are preparing to move back to the United Kingdom, multiple UK media outlets have confirmed. Citing sources familiar with the couple’s plans, the BBC first reported the planned relocation, which was initially broken by the Daily Telegraph and The Sun.
According to insiders, the couple will leave their current California home later this August and take up residence in a private, non-royal property located outside of London. Their two young children, 7-year-old Prince Archie and 5-year-old Princess Lilibet, have already been enrolled in a local British school set to open its doors for the new academic term in September.
King Charles III, Harry’s father, was only notified of the couple’s relocation plans this past Sunday, and no adjustments to the pair’s current royal status are on the table. The couple will remain private citizens, with no intention of returning to full-time working royal duties. This update comes as a surprise, as the family’s July 2024 visit to the King at his private Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire did not include any discussion of a permanent move, and the King had no advance knowledge of the plan before last weekend. Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Charles welcomes the move, as it will give him more opportunities to spend private, personal time with his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren.
William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, have also been formally notified of the couple’s plans. For context, the Sussexes stepped down from their official royal roles and left the UK in early 2020, completing their relocation to Southern California that March. Tensions between the couple and the rest of the royal family have run high in the years since, with July’s meeting marking a major turning point in their fractured relationship. That meeting was the first time King Charles had seen Archie and Lilibet in person in more than four years, and the first joint visit by Harry and Meghan to the UK since the 2022 state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Security arrangements have been one of the most persistent points of conflict between Prince Harry and UK officials since the couple stepped down. Last year, the duke lost a high-profile legal challenge against the UK government over his bid to retain the same level of personal police protection he received as a working royal, a benefit that was withdrawn after his 2020 exit. Ahead of July’s visit, Harry nearly canceled the trip after his request for police security was rejected, and he has repeatedly stated in past interviews that safety concerns have prevented him from bringing his family to live in the UK. After news of the planned return broke, a Home Office spokesperson confirmed that all royal security decisions are made by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC), and noted that the UK’s protective security framework remains “rigorous and proportionate.”
For Invictus Games Foundation, the veteran sports charity founded by Prince Harry, the move is unexpected but welcome. The 2025 Invictus Games for injured service members and veterans will be hosted in Birmingham, and foundation chief programmes and strategy officer David Wiseman told the BBC that having Harry based in the UK ahead of the event is excellent news. “I will be really pleased to have him back in the country. Moving is stressful for anyone so I hope it all goes well and the children settle well at school,” Wiseman said, adding that the relocation “took everybody by surprise” but will deliver significant benefits to the foundation’s work.
The surprise announcement has sparked widespread speculation across UK political and royal circles, with many senior figures noting they had no advance warning of the plan. Ailsa Anderson, former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, described the move as “a bolt out of the blue” in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s *Today* programme. She noted that the relocation raises a host of unresolved questions, particularly around the future of the strained relationship between Harry and his brother William, the future of the couple’s security, and their dynamic with the British tabloid press. Anderson also suggested Harry’s July 2024 visit, which included a trip to his late mother Princess Diana’s ancestral home in Northamptonshire, may have shifted his perspective on returning. “I wonder whether that made a shift in his views and he really wants to come back because he’s missed his life here for the last six years,” she said.
UK Education Secretary Lucy Powell welcomed the couple’s move, noting that the enrollment of Archie and Lilibet in British schools is a “great endorsement” of the UK’s education system. Powell also confirmed that she learned of the plans via social media and news reports Wednesday evening, just like the general public, and had not received any advance notification from Downing Street. She added that it is not expected the children will attend a local state school, a detail that has not been confirmed by the Sussexes’ representatives.
As of Thursday, the Sussexes have not yet released an official statement confirming the relocation plans or their long-term intentions following the move.