Harry, Meghan plan move back to U.K. with kids, report says

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are relocating to Britain with their two children in the biggest shift to their family life since they stepped back from royal duties six years ago, People magazine reported.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are moving to the U.K. with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, for an extended period beginning this month, with the children set to start school there in September, according to People, which cited unnamed sources close to the couple. The outlet reported that the location of the family’s new home and the children’s school are being kept private.

The couple will keep their Montecito, California, home and their vacation property in Portugal while setting up a private, non-royal base in Britain, marking their first U.K. home since they gave up the lease on Frogmore Cottage in 2023. People reported that King Charles asked them to vacate the Windsor residence following the publication of Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare.” The king was informed of the couple’s latest plans on Aug. 16 and welcomes the chance to see more of the family in a private capacity, People reported, adding that Buckingham Palace has been clear there will be no change to the couple’s status as private, non-working members of the royal family.

The move follows years of public tension over the Sussexes’ security in Britain. He lost his automatic taxpayer-funded police protection after stepping down as a working royal in 2020, prompting a yearslong legal fight over the security arrangements provided during his U.K. visits. He lost his appeal in May 2025, when the Court of Appeal upheld the bespoke, case-by-case security arrangements established for his visits to Britain. At the time, Prince Harry told the BBC he could not see a world in which he would bring his wife and children back to the U.K., while still voicing hope for a thaw with his relatives: “I would love reconciliation with my family.”

People reported that Prince Harry has continued pressing the government for a fresh risk assessment, arguing none has been conducted in more than six years, and that the family’s decision to establish a British base reflects his belief that the security picture has improved enough to base Meghan and the children there again. A spokesperson for the couple declined to comment on security matters, according to the outlet.

The move comes weeks after Meghan and the children flew from Portugal to join Prince Harry in Britain in July for the family’s first meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla in more than four years, held at Highgrove House. The family also visited Althorp House, the childhood home of the late Princess Diana, where Prince Harry’s uncle, Charles Spencer, now lives.

Prince Harry’s desire for his children to spend time in British schools is not new. He raised the subject last September with singer Joss Stone, who had recently moved her own family back to the U.K. from Nashville, Tennessee. “Maybe Harry will move back too. That would be nice,” Stone told Hello! magazine at the time, recalling that Prince Harry had asked her about how her family was settling in. Team Sussex later denied a separate report that Prince Archie had been enrolled at Eton College, Prince Harry’s alma mater.

While Prince Harry has worked to rebuild ties with his father, his relationship with his brother, Prince William, remains unchanged. People reported last month that the brothers, who were just 12 miles apart in London during Prince Harry’s July visit, did not meet, with one source close to the family calling the relationship “so broken.”

Those close to the Sussexes believe the family has quietly achieved the “half in, half out” arrangement Prince Harry and Meghan proposed to the royal family in 2019, People reported, with Prince Harry expected to spend more time supporting British charities such as WellChild and the Invictus Games while Meghan continues to lead her lifestyle brand, As Ever, from the couple’s international bases.