LONDON – Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have decided to make a return to the United Kingdom. However, they will not be taking on their previous roles as working members of the royal family, according to reports from British media.
Their children, Prince Archie, who is 7, and Princess Lilibet, aged 5, have already enrolled in schools in Britain and are set to begin classes in September. The family will be residing at a private home, away from royal duties, located outside of London.
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Harry and Meghan stepped back from their royal responsibilities and moved to California over six years ago. They pursued careers in the entertainment industry, signing lucrative contracts with platforms like Netflix and Spotify. Despite a rocky relationship with the royal family since their departure, Harry has recently shown a desire to mend ties, particularly as his father, King Charles III, is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
King Charles was informed about Harry and Meghan’s plans over the weekend, but he was not made aware of their return during the couple’s visit to the UK last month.
Buckingham Palace typically refrains from commenting on rumors concerning non-working royal family members, and Harry and Meghan’s representatives have also declined to provide any additional comments.
The couple’s relationship with the royal family has been tumultuous since they moved to a lavish estate in Montecito, California. In multiple interviews and in Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” they expressed that they left the UK to escape the constraints of royal life. They accused palace officials of failing to address Meghan’s mental health issues and claimed that a family member made racist comments during Meghan’s pregnancy.
The tension escalated due to Harry’s ongoing legal disputes with British tabloids, which he accuses of invading his privacy and hacking his phones during his youth. Recently, Harry faced significant legal costs after losing a high-profile case against the publishers of the Daily Mail, which culminated in a ruling that he must pay part of the publisher’s legal fees, totaling approximately £34.5 million (around $47 million).
Additionally, Harry has been engaged in a legal dispute with the British government concerning police protection for himself and his family while in the UK. He argues that they require security due to their royal status, irrespective of their non-working status.
Despite losing a court ruling regarding security last year, Harry expressed a wish to repair his relationship with his family, stating, “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. I don’t know how much longer my father has.”
A small step towards reconciliation occurred last month when Harry returned to the UK for charity events. Meghan and their children joined him for part of this trip, allowing them to spend time with King Charles at his estate. This visit marked the first time Archie and Lilibet had an opportunity to see their grandfather since the late Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee in 2022.
While Harry’s relationship with King Charles has seen some improvement, there are still tensions with his brother, Prince William, the heir to the throne. Peter Hunt, a former BBC royal correspondent, indicated that the announcement of Harry’s return may not sit well with William, stating it could potentially cause friction.
“In the short term, Harry will be able to deepen his rapprochement with his father,” Hunt noted. “And his presence back home will make it harder for his brother to duck a reconciliation.”
