Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are preparing to move back to Britain with their family after six years.
The couple will remain non-working members of the royal family following their relocation, according to reporting by The New York Times, with their specific future residence in Britain currently undisclosed.
Their two children, seven-year-old Prince Archie and five-year-old Princess Lilibet, have been enrolled in a British school to start classes in September, according to multiple media outlets including the BBC.
Prince Harry has repeatedly spoken of missing his home country, with recent months showing signs of rapprochement with his father. In May 2025, Harry told the BBC that he wished to reconcile with his family and expressed sadness that he was unable to show his homeland to his children.
School enrollment and relocation plans
The decision to relocate follows a series of steps towards bridging the distance between the couple and the royal house. King Charles III was informed of the family's intention to return to Britain, although the matter was not discussed during the couple's previous visit to the country.
The move marks a major transition for the family, who spent recent years establishing a home across the Atlantic in California while keeping a significant distance from the official workings of the British monarchy.
From royal wedding to Megxit departure
The couple's relationship began roughly a decade ago. When they married in 2018, the union was widely celebrated as a symbol of a modernised and open monarchy. Markle, an American television actress who was divorced and had been active in social advocacy, brought a fresh dynamic to the royal family.
However, intense media scrutiny, pressure from the British press, and internal friction within the royal household soon took a toll on the couple. Their son, Prince Archie, was born in London in May 2019. By Christmas of that year, the family chose to spend the festive period privately in Canada away from the United Kingdom.
In January 2020, Harry and Meghan announced their intention to step back as senior royals, seek financial independence, and continue supporting Queen Elizabeth II. The announcement had not been approved in advance by the Queen, sparking an immediate royal crisis that was quickly dubbed Megxit by international media.
A formal agreement followed under which the couple stopped using their senior royal titles in daily life, relinquished public funding, and agreed to repay taxpayer funds used to renovate their home in Windsor. In March 2020, they carried out their final official engagement as working members of the House of Windsor.
Life in California and media ventures
After relocating to California, the couple established new commercial operations. In September 2020, they announced a production enterprise later named Archewell Productions and signed a lucrative multi-year contract with Netflix to produce documentaries, feature films, series, and children's programming.
The Palace confirmed in February 2021 that the couple would not return to official duties. One month later, in March 2021, Harry and Meghan gave a landmark broadcast interview to Oprah Winfrey. During the sit-down, Markle spoke of experiencing severe psychological strain, while the couple raised questions regarding race, privilege, and institutional conduct within the royal environment.
Their daughter, Princess Lilibet, was born in California in June 2021. The couple returned to Britain together in June 2022 for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, and visited again in September 2022 for the monarch's funeral, during which Harry's relationship with his brother, Prince William, and sister-in-law, Kate, remained subject to intense public focus.
Further details of internal disputes emerged in December 2022 with the release of their Netflix docuseries, followed in January 2023 by Harry's memoir Spare, which detailed conflicts with senior family members. In May 2023, Harry attended the coronation of King Charles III alone before swiftly departing, while Markle remained in the United States.
The couple continued expanding their media projects over the following years. In 2025, Markle launched the lifestyle show With Love, Meghan on Netflix, as Archewell Productions secured a new agreement with the streaming platform.
Palace reconciliation and meeting with King Charles
Tensions began to ease visibly in the summer of 2026. In July, Harry, Meghan, and their children met with King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The gathering was viewed as a major step toward de-escalating strain between Harry and his father. It was the first time the young children had seen their grandfather since Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
Confirmation of their relocation plans emerged one month after the family meeting, symbolically bringing an end to the period of separation initiated by their 2020 departure.
Public opinion and British polling
The planned return comes despite low popularity ratings for the couple in the United Kingdom. A YouGov survey conducted in July 2026 revealed that 22 percent of British respondents held a positive view of Markle, compared to 65 percent who viewed her negatively.
The same poll showed that 33 percent of respondents held a positive opinion of Harry, while 58 percent expressed a negative view of the prince.
