Prince Harry and his wife Meghan plan to move back to the UK this month, six years after they stepped down as working members of the royal family and relocated to the US, several media outlets reported on Wednesday. However, they will not return to official royal duties.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to move from their California home to the UK for an extended stay with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5. The children are expected to begin school in the UK in September, People Magazine and British newspaper The Telegraph reported.
A source close to the couple confirmed the reports. Harry's spokesperson and Buckingham Palace did not immediately comment.
The move does not signal a return to official royal duties. Harry and Meghan are not expected to live in a royal residence and will remain non-working royals, according to The Telegraph.
Their status will remain unchanged under the arrangement agreed with the late Queen Elizabeth when they stepped back from royal duties in March 2020.
Harry married Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle in May 2018 in a ceremony that attracted global attention. The union was seen by some as a potential new chapter for the monarchy, particularly given Meghan's background as a former actress and her mixed-race heritage.
But tensions between the couple and other members of the royal family soon began to emerge.
In January 2020, Harry and Meghan announced that they would step away from their roles as senior working royals. They formally relinquished their official duties in March that year and moved to the US.
They settled in the wealthy seaside enclave of Montecito near Santa Barbara, California. Media reports at the time put the purchase price of their 16-bedroom home at around USD 14.7 million (approx Rs 140.5 crore).
In the years that followed, Harry and Meghan publicly discussed their experiences within the royal family and their relationship with the monarchy in television interviews, a Netflix documentary series and Harry's 2023 memoir, "Spare".
In a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan spoke about her struggles within the royal institution and alleged that a member of the royal family had raised concerns about the likely skin colour of her and Harry's future child.
Harry also said his father, now King Charles, had stopped taking his calls.
Harry's relationship with his elder brother, Prince William, has suffered particularly badly.
In "Spare", Harry described a 2019 confrontation in which he said William knocked him to the floor during an argument involving Meghan. He also detailed disagreements over William's attitude towards his wife.
The rift between the brothers has remained largely unresolved. While Harry's relationship with his father appears to have improved in recent months, he is still barely on speaking terms with William.
Relations between Harry and Charles showed signs of thawing in September, when father and son met briefly for the first time in 20 months.
However, the king himself only became aware of Harry and Meghan's plans to return to the UK on Sunday, according to The Telegraph.
Harry has also repeatedly expressed concern over his security arrangements when visiting the UK.
After stepping down as a working royal, he lost the automatic police protection he had previously received in the country. He challenged the decision in court, arguing that the change left him and his family vulnerable.
In May last year, Harry lost his appeal against the security arrangements.
After the ruling, he said he wanted to reconcile with his family and expressed concern about his father's health. He also said the security dispute had contributed to the breakdown in communication between them.
Last month, Harry, Meghan and their children visited the UK, giving King Charles an opportunity to see Archie and Lilibet for the first time since 2022.
Harry and Meghan are expected to remain non-working royals and are not expected to resume official engagements on behalf of the monarchy, while their children are due to begin school in the UK in September.
Source: Reuters