Six years after a "freedom flight" to California, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are flying back to Britain for an extended stay. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex surprised royal watchers in August when it was revealed that they would be returning across the pond later in the month, with their kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, set to begin school there in September.
News of their relocation came a month after the family of four visited the UK, during which they reunited with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove.
A friend of the couple previously told HELLO!: "They had a wonderful time this summer and that was part of what went into the decision. They realised they wanted to take that opportunity to bring their kids home and share his family's history with them. They saw a lot of friends and family during their visit this summer.
"They're excited to give the children more time in a country that's important to them, and they have the flexibility to be able to do that while the kids are young," the friend added. "There's flexibility. It's an extended period of time but it's just not clear yet how long they'll stay."
But what will their life back on British soil look like? Here is everything we know about the Sussex family's next chapter in the UK...
© Matt Dunham - WPA Pool/Getty ImagesWill Meghan and Harry be working royals once again?
Meghan and Harry, who stepped back from royal duties in 2020, are returning to the United Kingdom as private individuals and non-working members of the royal family. HELLO! understands that the King is clear that there will be no change to the Duke and Duchess' roles, as there is no half-in, half-out option. But as Robert Jobson pointed out to HELLO!: "How can that not happen, if they are living in this country? Whatever they do will be seen as semi-royal. Perception is everything, and this causes confusion.
"It's going to be very difficult for the King. On one level he will reconnect. On another level it will make things complicated for him.
"It will muddy the waters. If you give Harry an inch, he takes a mile."
How did King Charles react to Meghan and Harry's decision to return?
King Charles was informed of his son's plans three days before the news broke. It's understood that the 77-year-old monarch, who was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in 2024, welcomes the opportunity to see more of the Sussex family in a private and personal capacity.
© Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImageIs Meghan and Harry's move to the UK permanent?
The couple's move to the UK is being described as an "extended stay," rather than a permanent move. HELLO!'s Royal Editor Emily Nash wrote in an opinion piece: "The language around this is intriguing, suggesting that far from wanting to build the rest of their lives in the UK, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are keeping their options open.
"Having a footprint on two continents gives them all of the flexibility they wanted - and were denied - when they made their dramatic exit from royal life back in early 2020."
Where will Meghan, Harry and their kids live?
HELLO! understands that the Sussexes' new base could be in the Cotswolds, a celebrity hotspot that is also home to stars including Victoria and David Beckham, Simon Cowell, Kate Moss and Liam Gallagher. Meghan and Harry's friends Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi also moved to the Cotswolds in 2024.
"They have lots of friends in the area," a source has told HELLO!. "Meghan is close to Ellen DeGeneres, who lives there with her wife, Portia de Rossi, as does Simon Cowell, who is friends with Prince Harry. There is also Soho Farmhouse, a members' club where they are sure to spend some time, as Meghan is still friendly with the Soho House executive Markus Anderson. The house they rented when they were last living in the Cotswolds was quite small and isn't big enough for what they need now, so they will have found somewhere else."
However, the exact location of their home will be kept private for security reasons.
Meghan and Harry rented a place in the Cotswolds back in 2018. In his memoir Spare, the Duke opened up about the Oxfordshire property they rented while Frogmore Cottage was undergoing renovations. He wrote: "While the work was being done, we thought we could move into Oxfordshire full time. We loved it out there. The air fresh, the verdant grounds—plus, no paps."
© InstagramWhat will happen to Meghan and Harry's home in Montecito?
It's been reported that Meghan and Harry plan to keep their home in Montecito, which they moved into in 2020. Speaking about the California property on HELLO!'s A Right Royal Podcast, Royal Editor Emily Nash said: "I think it's much more likely they'll keep it actually, unless they're really forced into making some kind of financial arrangement. But I think they'll want a foot on both sides of the pond. Absolutely.
"They still will want to see Doria. They have their community in California. Meghan has her business interests there. I can't see a world in which she wouldn't come back and forth."
Is Meghan's mother Doria Ragland moving to the UK, too?
The Duchess' mother, Doria Ragland, will be staying behind in California, but will still see the family. A friend of the couple told HELLO!: "Doria is a big part of the kids' lives but she has her own life in California. She will of course continue to see the family frequently."
Where will Archie and Lilibet go to school in the UK?
The Sussex children are already enrolled at a British school, although the name of the institution is being kept private for security reasons. When the new school year begins in September 2026, Prince Archie will enter Year 3, while Princess Lilibet will begin Year 1.
Grace Moody-Stuart, spokesperson for Good Schools Guide, believes the siblings will go to the same school. "I think they would be wise to do that because it is a big culture shock, however much, you know, their father's British, etc. I think it's a massive culture shock moving from a different country," Grace explained to HELLO!.
According to Grace, what is "wonderful about a country school is that" they're "not especially selective, academically, so it's not all about just, you know, who's the best in the class. Class or at maths or whatever." She noted that if the Duke and Duchess "are choosing a sort of coed prep outside London, it will be a much more freestyle, much less pressured environment than perhaps Harry experienced."
The dad of two praised British schools while speaking with Joss Stone at the 2025 WellChild Awards. She later told HELLO!: "He was saying how wonderful the schools are here and how important community is for children. It was nice to share that with him because it's exactly why we felt drawn to come back – for the kids to grow up surrounded by family, friends, and a strong sense of belonging and, most importantly, in a safe environment."
What will happen to the Sussexes' pets?
It is thought that the Sussexes dogs, Pula and Mamma Mia, will go to the UK with the family, but their chickens are less likely to. In the family's absence, staff looking after the family's Montecito home are expected to feed the chickens.
Will the Sussexes have security once back in the UK?
Meghan and Harry lost their publicly funded security when they stepped back from royal duties in 2020, and lost his legal challenge over security protection in 2025. On A Right Royal Podcast, Emily Nash remarked that there has been a "three-way silence" surrounding the security arrangements that will be in place for the Sussexes.
"As we know, Harry said as recently as last year, he couldn't see a world in which he would bring Meghan and the children back to the UK because he feared for their lives. You know, he was really talking about it in such stark terms," Emily said. "I mean, the fact that the meeting with the King went unnoticed back in July until they announced it. And the fact that they were able to move about, and we know have quite a lovely summer holiday in the United Kingdom without being seen by anyone really showed that that wasn't necessarily the case.
"But that being said, obviously some kind of arrangement is now in place that they are satisfied with, and that has meant they are happy to move back here."
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has stated that Harry's security is a "private matter."
Ken Wharfe, a former royal protection officer who served as a bodyguard to Harry when he was a child, told HELLO!: "I think it's going to be very difficult for the government not to give him some level of security. He's still a prince of the realm," Ken said.
Does Prince Harry want to reconcile with the royal family?
The Duke of Sussex has made it known that he would like to reconcile with his family. While he acknowledged in 2025 that some members of his family "will never forgive" him for writing his 2023 memoir Spare, Harry told BBC News: "I would love reconciliation with my family. I've always, you know, there's no point in continuing to fight any more."
He added: "As I said, life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has."
Harry reunited with his father at Clarence House in September 2025. The Duke saw his father again this summer when he, Meghan and their kids spent time with the King and Queen at Highgrove.
As for the possibility of reconciliation with the wider family now that the Sussexes are relocating to the UK, a friend of Meghan and Harry told HELLO!: "One step at a time. But having the opportunity to have relationships with friends and family that are harder from the other side of the world? The driver is there."
Why move now?
Sources close to the Sussexes have said that they realized they wanted to make the move after their 2026 summer trip to the UK.
"Harry has been really keen for the children to experience life in the UK, and Meghan will support this as well," a friend of the Duke has told HELLO!. "They feel the time is right. They'll want to get the kids settled. Obviously, the longer you leave it, the harder that becomes, because of the age they are."
