Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to move back to the United Kingdom, after living several years in California, was reportedly spurred by their “disillusionment with the current White House.”
Citing reports from The Telegraph and The Sun, the BBC reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will relocate to a private residence outside of London with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The children will also be enrolled in British school come September. King Charles III has reportedly been informed of the move and welcomed the news.
“The move is not expected to change Harry and Meghan’s royal status. They reportedly have no plans to resume duties as working royals and will remain private individuals,” per Fox News.
People noted in an exclusive on Wednesday that the move comes amid the couple’s “disillusionment with the current White House.”
“With the midterm elections fast approaching, concerns about the direction of the U.S. loom large for many,” People said.
The outlet continued: There has been public tension between the Sussexes and Trump in the past. When President Donald Trump said in January 2026 that NATO allies “stayed a little back” from the frontlines during the war in Afghanistan, Harry — a combat vet from the Afghanistan War — issued a blunt statement: “I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there.” (For his part, Trump said of Meghan in May, “Boy, what she’s done to that guy [Harry],” in remarks to royal biographer Robert Hardman.)
Royal author Simon Vigar said that he suspects Harry and Meghan may carve out a “hybrid version” of their royal duties in the years to come.
“Harry did think that there was a hybrid version that they could do. And I think, in years to come, there will be a hybrid version. I think he’s right. There has to be a hybrid version of this where people don’t get accused of cashing in but can support their cousins or their brother or whatever,” Vigar said.
“The [Sussexes] thought they could have a hybrid role of having a business life and a private life, while also spending a few months in the U.K. supporting the queen. Harry believed that was an option, which was whipped away from him,” he added.
Neither Harry nor Meghan have visited the U.K. since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022. They left royal duties in 2020 to reside in Montecito, California, as their relationship with the royal family became estranged the more they discussed their grievances in public interviews.
“There’s always room for Harry to support his family privately as a son and brother,” Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube’s Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered, told Fox News . “That’s very different from supporting the monarchy publicly as a working royal. The monarchy has successfully adapted to a smaller working team.”