Duke and Duchess of Sussex to return to Britain

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to move back to Britain, it emerged last night, in an unexpected development that is set to bring Prince Harry and Meghan closer to the Royal Family after more than four years of estrangement.

The couple intend to relocate from California to a private, non‑royal residence outside London later this month, with Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, enrolled to start at a British school in September. King Charles, who was told of the move on Sunday, was unaware of the decision before last weekend, the BBC understands, though he welcomes the opportunity to see more of the Sussex family in a private and personal capacity.

No change is expected to the couple’s official status, and they will remain private individuals with no current plans to resume their roles as working royals. The Prince and Princess of Wales have also been informed of their plans. The Sussexes left the United Kingdom and stepped back from royal duties in early 2020, before settling in California the following month. Family relations had remained strained since, with a visit to the King and Queen Camilla at Highgrove in July this year marking a key development in their relationship. The Palace described that meeting as a “private family occasion” — the first time the monarch had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years.

Security has long been a point of tension. Prince Harry’s July visit was nearly reconsidered because his request for police protection was rejected, and last year the duke lost a legal challenge over the level of security to which he and his family are entitled while in Britain. He had sought to overturn a decision that downgraded his protection after he ceased to be a working royal. Following the announcement of the intended return, a Home Office spokesperson said decisions on security were taken by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, known as Ravec, and that the government’s protective security system was “rigorous and proportionate”. Prince Harry has previously said that safety concerns have prevented him from bringing his wife and children to the UK.

During his July visit, the duke promoted the Invictus Games for injured service personnel, which Birmingham will host next year. David Wiseman, chief programmes and strategy officer at the Invictus Games Foundation, welcomed the move as “excellent news”, telling the BBC: “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.” He added that the foundation would benefit greatly from having Prince Harry back in Britain.

That July trip was overshadowed, however, by the duke’s High Court loss in a privacy case against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. Prince Harry and several other prominent figures had claimed the newspaper group used unlawful methods to obtain information for stories — allegations that Associated Newspapers strenuously denied. The duke has complained of press intrusion into his relationship with Meghan, telling the court in January: “They’ve made my wife’s life an absolute misery.”

Ailsa Anderson, former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, described the move as “a bolt out of the blue”. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said it raised questions about Prince Harry’s relationship with his brother, security arrangements and the couple’s relations with the British press. “It does beg the question, what will the rest of the Royal Family think of this? Of course, Harry and Prince William haven’t seen each other for four years, I think the last time was the late Queen’s funeral,” she added. Anderson suggested that the duke’s July visit, particularly to his late mother’s ancestral home in Northamptonshire, may have influenced his decision. “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.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell said the government welcomed the Sussexes’ return. Asked whether she had been told in advance, she told BBC Breakfast that she had learned of the news on social media on Wednesday evening “like everybody else”. She added that Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet enrolling at a British school was a “great endorsement” of the UK’s education system, though she acknowledged they were unlikely to attend a local state school.