Harry and Meghan Sensationally Quit California

Harry and Meghan are moving back to the U.K. full time in the next few weeks, and will enroll their kids at British schools.

The extraordinary development will see the couple relocate from the United States before the end of August, settling in a private, non-royal residence believed to be outside London. Their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, have been enrolled at a British school and are due to start in September, the Telegraph said.

The King was told of the couple’s decision on Sunday, the Telegraph reported, adding that the subject was not raised when the Sussexes visited him at Highgrove in July.

He was said to be “naturally” pleased at the prospect of seeing more of his family on a regular basis. The monarch is nonetheless understood to be clear that the couple’s status as non-working royals and private individuals—in line with their previously stated wishes—will not change. The Prince and Princess of Wales have also been informed, the paper said.

No details of the family’s security arrangements have been disclosed, and there has been no announcement of any change. Prince Harry has previously said he would not feel safe bringing his wife and children to the U.K. without police protection, something he has fought to secure for several years, and which the British state has so far consistently refused to provide.

The Telegraph reported that the couple will keep their homes in Montecito, California, and in Portugal, and that the Duchess will continue to run her lifestyle brand, As Ever — which sources insisted to the paper is thriving — from their new British base. Sources suggested the UK would be the family’s primary home for an extended period, although no final decision has been taken on whether the move will be permanent. The locations of the house and the children’s school are being withheld for privacy reasons.

The reported move comes more than six years after the couple stepped back from royal duties and left Britain in pursuit of financial independence, agreeing not to use their HRH titles. In a 2021 statement issued after a 12-month review, Elizabeth II confirmed that the pair would not “continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service”, having made clear that a “half-in, half-out” arrangement — combining royal duties with commercial ventures — was not on offer. The couple responded at the time: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”

Prince Harry was stripped of his honorary military titles but has continued to support a handful of charities, and the Telegraph noted that the couple believe they have since demonstrated that the “half-in, half-out” model can work.

The years following their departure were marked by a series of explosive claims that shook the monarchy. The couple suggested that senior royals had made racist remarks by questioning what colour their unborn son’s skin would be, while the Duchess disclosed that she had experienced suicidal thoughts and had struggled with her mental health after joining the Royal family. In a 2019 television interview she said British friends had warned her before her wedding that the tabloids would destroy her life, and described the British way of handling emotions as “probably really damaging”. In a 2022 magazine interview she claimed she would “never be able to do school pick-up and drop-off” in Britain “without it being a royal photo call”.

While the Duke has begun rebuilding his relationship with his father — the two are said to speak regularly by telephone — his rift with Prince William remains deep. The brothers are not thought to have spoken for years, and both the Prince and Princess of Wales are said to feel profoundly betrayed by the revelations in Harry’s memoir, Spare, and in his television interviews.

The Duke has, however, long made no secret of how much he misses Britain, and of his wish for his children to grow up experiencing British life and culture. The move would also allow him to devote more time to his charitable work: the Invictus Games take place in Birmingham in July 2027, and the Telegraph reported that he fervently hopes the King will join him to open the event.

Last month’s reunion at Highgrove, the King’s Gloucestershire home, was seen as a significant step towards reconciliation — the first time Archie and Lilibet had seen their grandfather in four years.

The Sussexes have a property bought in 2023 at the Costa Terra resort in Melides, Portugal — a country popular with American emigrants that offers a “golden visa” granting EU residency in return for an investment of at least $300,000 (£216,000), provided holders spend seven days a year there.