Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially returned to the UK – six years after "Megxit" and their "freedom flight" to the US.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly landed at Birmingham Airport at Wednesday lunchtime as they seek to begin a new life in Britain after settling down in Montecito, California, when they stepped down as senior royals in 2020.
Their arrival was not pictured, but they arrived quietly on a flight from California, according to The Telegraph.
Their arrival comes just days ahead of their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, starting at their new schools in Britain next week.
© Getty Images for W+PWhile Harry has made frequent visits to the UK for his charity work and legal cases, his family have not come back as frequently.
Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet visited Britain in July for the first time in four years, with the children previously in the UK for the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
Just 15 months ago, Harry had said: "I can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK."
Where will Harry and Meghan be living in the UK?
The couple is understood to be living in a non-royal residence outside of London.
Precise details of their new home are being kept private for security reasons, though some reports have suggested the Cotswolds as a potential area of interest, given the couple's strong links to the area.
Harry and Meghan lived in Great Tew before their 2018 wedding, and had her hen do at Soho Farmhouse.
They have not had a permanent UK home since 2023, when they were asked to vacate their Windsor residence Frogmore Cottage, a gift from the late Queen, just weeks after the Duke’s damning memoir Spare was released.
Whether they have yet bought a home and who will or has paid for it is also unknown.
What schools will Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet attend?
Details about Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet's schools are also being kept private for their security, but it's known they have places for the new school year.
Archie will be entering Year 3, and Lili will be going into Year 1 in September.
© InstagramAt their age, Harry was at Wetherby School, a boys’ school in London, before he went to Ludgrove School in Berkshire and finally to Eton College.
Archie and Lili’s cousin Prince George, 13, is due to start at Eton in September, while Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, are at Lambrook School in Berkshire.
What's next for Harry and Meghan now they've arrived in the UK?
The couple is not returning to the UK as working royals and will not be offered a "half in, half out" royal status, as was decided by the late Queen Elizabeth at the Sandringham summit.
It's understood that Meghan will continue to run her As Ever lifestyle brand from the UK, though its branding will likely look quite different with her new location for product shoots.
It's also been reported that the Duchess could be in line for a return to acting with a potential role in series three of Netflix's The Gentlemen, though counter reports have suggested it's been withdrawn.
The couple will continue their charity work and other projects, including Harry's upcoming WellChild awards in September and the Birmingham Invictus Games in July 2027. Meghan is expected to join Harry for certain public engagements relating to his charity work.
Archewell Productions, Harry and Meghan's media company, and Archewell Philanthropies, their charity, will continue to operate from the US, under the same teams that currently manage them.
The Sussexes will also keep their homes in Montecito, California; and Portugal.
Will Harry reunite with the royal family?
King Charles is said to welcome the opportunity to see more of the Sussexes in a private and personal capacity, but it's not known whether they will reunite with Harry's estranged older brother, Prince William, over the coming months.
© Getty ImagesRoyal author Robert Jobson told HELLO!: "Are they really going to have William and Harry sitting around a table with all that's gone on?"
"Perhaps the King is hoping that it will be a chance for reconciliation. We've had the noise of Megxit. Now we have Regretxit."
Sources close to the Sussexes have said they realised they wanted to come back after they visited the UK in July, which included a reunion with King Charles at Highgrove and spending time with Earl Spencer at Althorp Estate in Northamptonshire.
