Harry and Meghan Plan Extended UK Return After Six Years

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to Britain for an extended stay, People reported Wednesday. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will bring their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, to London starting in September, according to the report. The couple will not resume royal duties, which they stepped back from in January 2020. They plan to live near London, putting them within reach of King Charles, Prince William, and the rest of the royal family for the first time in six years.

King Charles learned of the move Sunday and "welcomes the opportunity to see more of the Sussex family in a private and personal capacity," the report said. William and Kate have also been informed, though they have not publicly commented. The couple's security arrangements in the UK remain unclear. Harry has repeatedly voiced safety concerns about bringing his family back to Britain since losing a legal challenge in May 2025 that sought automatic police protection.

Harry and Meghan will not sell their homes in Montecito, California, or Portugal. They have not disclosed where they will live in London or which school their children will attend. The last time the family visited the UK together was July 2026, when Archie and Lilibet met Charles and Camilla at Highgrove House. That visit, kept private, was seen as a thawing point in the strained relationship.

The rift that defined a decade

The move marks a dramatic shift after more than six years of public estrangement. Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior royals in January 2020, citing intense media scrutiny and a lack of support from the institution. The couple moved to California and became financially independent, repaying $3 million in taxpayer funds used to renovate Frogmore Cottage.

Their relationship with the royal family deteriorated further after a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, in which they said a family member made racist remarks about Archie's skin tone and that the palace ignored Meghan's mental health struggles. Harry later clarified that his grandparents did not make those comments.

Harry's memoir "Spare," published in January 2023, contained explosive allegations, including that William physically attacked him during an argument in 2019. The brothers barely spoke at Queen Elizabeth's funeral in September 2022, according to the book. Harry also wrote that Charles did not hug him after Princess Diana's death.

Security remains the sticking point