Prince Harry and Meghan Markle plan to leave the United States and return to the United Kingdom, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
Their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are believed to have been enrolled in a British school in September, according to U.K. media reports cited by the Daily Telegraph. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to reside in a private home outside London, without the trappings of royalty.
The couple is also expected to retain their homes in California and Portugal, as Britain will once again serve as their primary residence, according to the Daily Telegraph. King Charles was informed of the planned move over the weekend, and Harry and Meghan have no intentions of resuming senior royal duties.
Their return to Britain represents a significant and surprising shift as they continue to build independent lives and careers outside the royal family. This transatlantic move follows Netflix’s decision to downgrade its overall agreement with the couple, which produced the documentary *Harry & Meghan* and projects such as *Polo* and *With Love, Meghan*, to a first‑look arrangement.
The new agreement includes Archewell Productions, founded by Harry and Markle, partnering with the streaming service on a polo‑themed series. Netflix also announced that it is ending its partnership with Markle’s lifestyle brand, As Ever.
Harry and Meghan first relocated to a residence in Montecito, California, approximately 80 miles north of Los Angeles, in 2020. At that time, they stepped down as working members of the royal family and agreed not to use the style “His/Her Royal Highness” or accept public funding, as stipulated by a settlement with Buckingham Palace.
This followed Prince Harry’s marriage to Meghan in 2018. It remains unclear whether their return could signal a reconciliation with the broader royal family.
The once‑close brothers, Prince Harry and Prince William, have grown distant since Harry began publicly discussing the treatment of his wife during the transition to royal life and their subsequent move to California.
Recently, Prince Harry appeared at the High Court in London to testify in a case against the publisher of the *Daily Mail*, Associated Newspapers Limited, in which he and a co‑litigant claimed they had suffered a loss.