Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly planning to relocate to the United Kingdom with their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, marking the most significant shift in the family’s living arrangements since they stepped away from royal duties in 2020. The move was first reported late Wednesday, August 19, with multiple outlets independently confirming it shortly after. Neither Harry nor Meghan, nor representatives of the palace, have offered comment on the reports.

A New Home Base Outside London

The family is expected to settle in a private, non-royal residence situated outside of London, though the exact location is being closely guarded. Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, will not be taking up any official royal duties alongside the move — there are no current plans for a return to working royal life. The relocation represents the family’s first foothold on British soil since they gave up the lease on Frogmore Cottage, the Windsor property gifted to them by the late Queen Elizabeth, in 2023. King Charles, 77, asked the couple to vacate that property following the publication of Harry’s candid 2023 memoir, “Spare.”

King Charles was reportedly informed of the couple’s plans on Sunday, August 16.

Keeping Ties to California and Portugal

The move to Britain does not mean the Sussexes are cutting all ties to their life in the United States. The family will hold onto their Montecito, California, home, and they will also keep a vacation property in Portugal. Sources close to the couple have described the relocation as temporary, with Montecito remaining their primary residence, and the arrangement appears designed to give them flexibility across multiple countries rather than a clean break from their California chapter.

After six years based in the U.S., the timing of the move is driven in large part by the children’s education. Archie and Lilibet are enrolled to begin at a British school when the new term opens in September 2026, though the name of that school has not been disclosed.

What the Return Does — and Does Not — Signal

It is worth being clear about what this move represents and what it does not. Harry will not be stepping back into any ceremonial or institutional royal role. The family’s new residence will be private rather than tied to the palace structure. In that sense, the return is less a reconciliation with “the firm” and more a practical decision — one anchored in schooling, family proximity, and the rhythms of raising two young children.

The couple’s children are enrolled for the new term, underscoring that the move is timed precisely around the start of the academic year. For Archie and Lilibet, Britain is about to become a very real part of daily life — classrooms, school runs, and all.

The decision has drawn considerable attention on both sides of the Atlantic, given the circumstances that originally surrounded the couple’s 2020 departure. That exit — widely described at the time as a break from the pressures of royal life — was followed by a series of public controversies, including Harry’s memoir and a string of legal battles involving British tabloids.

Whether the relocation evolves into something more permanent, or whether it eventually shifts the family’s relationship with the Royal Family in any meaningful way, remains to be seen. For now, the Sussexes are reportedly packing up and heading across the Atlantic — and the children are about to start a brand-new school year in a brand-new country.

The family’s U.K. security arrangements have not been publicly disclosed.

Harry lost an appeal last year when he challenged the British government’s decision to reduce his publicly funded security following his and his wife’s decision to step back as senior working royals.

The couple have relied on a privately funded security team in the U.S.