The six standing friends that Harry and Meghan can count on for support as they touch down in the UK

The Sussexes packed up their lives in the UK and moved to Montecito, California, in 2020 after stepping down as senior royals. They've experienced much change there, including welcoming their second child, Princess Lilibet, in 2021, as well as embarking on and concluding Spotify and Netflix deals. 

Back in the UK, things have changed too – as Harry's relationship with King Charles appears to be on the mend, though tensions remain with his older brother Prince William. 

But according to royal expert Katie Nicholl, author of The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown, the Sussexes will still have a selection of friends to welcome them home after they landed at Birmingham Airport on Wednesday.  

Katie told HELLO!: "I think Harry has made an effort on his recent visits home to keep in touch with some of his friends. 

"William and Harry have always had a group of friends that moved within a similar social circle and, inevitably, when Harry and Meghan left, and given the circumstances under which they left, it was so divisive and raw that the friends were told to pick one side or the other, and that’s what they did."

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She added that while William's friends are "deeply loyal", especially over the past couple of years in the wake of Kate's cancer diagnosis, those Harry has "stayed close with" have "also remained loyal". 

Read on to find out who could be in Harry and Meghan's new friendship circle…

Who are Prince Harry's friends back in the UK?

Katie said that former royal equerry Mark Dyer is one of Harry's strongest ties still in the UK, as he was "always much closer to Harry than he was to William". 

She added: "The van Straubenzee family have always been close with both of the brothers - the elder brother Tom has always been William’s bestie, while Charlie was always Harry's mate and they've sort of held onto that friendship." 

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However, other friendships remain slightly more unclear, including Harry's contact with Guy Pelly, Tom Inskip, and Arthur Landon. 

"It’s not been a straightforward friendship with Harry and Guy Pelly, but I think Harry has made an effort to revive that friendship," Katie explained, referring to Harry and William's close friend, who is also Prince Louis's godfather. 

She added: "With Tom Inskip (Harry's childhood friend from Eton), there was a fallout that sort of led to tensions, so Harry's got some bridges to repair, but he won’t come over friendless, and I think he certainly will come over with an intention to make an effort with those friends.

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"Arthur Landon, who is a filmmaker and spent some time living in LA, is someone who I think will help him with that. Harry will be able to rely on him to help him get back into some of the social circles where he's perhaps felt quite ostracized in the last five years."

In addition, the Duke of Westminster is a lifelong friend of both Harry and Prince William, although the Duke of Sussex did not attend his wedding to Olivia Henson in 2024.

Meghan Markle's support group in the UK

Katie explained that returning to the UK will be a harder "challenge" for Meghan, 45, as she's spent less time in the country. 

The royal author emphasised that she will "have to make friends", though she does have a couple of allies already.  

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"She’s got the Soho Farmhouse lot - her close friend Markus Anderson is often there - and Izzy May, who is one of Meghan’s closest friends and I think Archie’s godmother," said Katie. 

"The couple has been very kind and loyal to her, and she is a big Sussex supporter. So, she has a couple of allies over here - just not many."

Meghan is also friends with the designer Misha Nonoo, who is also friends with Princess Eugenie. 

Will Harry and Meghan reunite with Princess Eugenie?

HELLO! revealed last week that Prince Harry is "not even in touch" with his royal cousin Princess Eugenie, despite previously being close. 

The insider told us: "Harry and Meghan are not so close to Beatrice and Eugenie anymore, and Harry did not see Eugenie over the summer in Portugal.

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"Harry has very few friends left from before. They’re going to have to make some serious social inroads and gatherings to get back in the fold."

Sources told HELLO! they did not meet up when Harry and Meghan visited the country in July, just weeks before Eugenie welcomed her third child, Adelaide Brooksbank. 

The source added: "They didn’t even see each other when they were over in Portugal recently, probably because Eugenie was so heavily pregnant, but it’s a real difference to how close they used to be, so close that they let Eugenie and Jack stay in Frogmore cottage, remember when they needed a place to stay. They’re not that close anymore."

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