Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have returned to the United Kingdom, landing at Birmingham Airport on Wednesday aboard a private jet from California. The couple were accompanied by their two children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5. Their representatives declined to comment on the reports, but British media had signalled the move was coming, with earlier accounts suggesting the family intended to settle in a property outside London for an extended period.
The couple left the UK in 2020 after stepping back from their roles as working members of the royal family, citing a desire for a quieter life. Harry said at the time that he and Meghan felt they had no other choice. The move cost him his publicly funded police protection — a privilege he subsequently challenged in court without success. The question of security arrangements remains unresolved: Harry is reportedly in contact with the Home Office awaiting the outcome of a security assessment to determine whether he might qualify for taxpayer-funded protection. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the matter as a private one.
The family is expected to reside in the Cotswolds, a rural area of rolling countryside northwest of London popular with celebrities, outside any royal residence. Their children were reportedly enrolled in a British school days before the new academic year began, suggesting the return is more than a brief visit. Harry and Meghan had not been in the UK together since Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in 2022, though Harry had made several solo visits in the intervening years.
The couple's return comes against a backdrop of gradual, if fragile, family reconciliation. A public rift with King Charles III had kept Harry estranged from his father for years. Relations began to thaw after Charles announced a cancer diagnosis in early 2024, and the two have since met on several occasions — most recently in July, when Harry, Meghan, and the children met with Charles and Queen Camilla together. Harry's relationship with his elder brother, Prince William, remains publicly unaddressed; William has not commented on his brother's return.
Some commentators have speculated that commercial difficulties may have contributed to the decision to relocate. Harry's memoir, published in 2023, and a Netflix documentary both aired grievances against the royal family, the British press, and the government, straining relationships on multiple fronts. Reports had also circulated that Meghan was in talks about returning to acting, though those accounts were later said to have been withdrawn following a negative public reaction. What the couple intend to do professionally in the UK has not been announced.