Remember Megxit? Yep, we do too! When Harry and Meghan quit the royal family in January 2020, they made a BIG deal of leaving the U.K. and starting their new life in California. And all the drama that followed afterward made just as many headlines. Sometimes, it seemed like there really was nothing they could do that would still surprise us. But Harry and Meghan have proven us wrong.
After more than six years in the U.S., the pair is ready for a new chapter. And they’re doing that by moving. Again. Their new home base? It’s one that wasn’t on our bingo card—and we’re pretty sure it wasn’t on yours either. But the move is happening, and it’s apparently imminent. Like, before-the-kids-go-back-to-school imminent.
So where are they going, and why? Read on for the royal scoop.
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Where are Harry and Meghan moving?
The Sussexes are moving to the last place anyone would expect: the U.K. Yes, you read that right. According to The Telegraph and People magazine, Harry, Meghan and their kids will move continents within the next two weeks. It’s not clear yet where they plan to settle, but it will definitely not be one of the royals’ fancy palaces.
According to media reports, London has been ruled out, and they’ll likely live in the British countryside. The Cotswolds, less than two hours from the capital and one of the country’s most beautiful regions (known for its green hills and picturesque stone villages), has been rumored as an option. The couple’s close friend Ellen DeGeneres has a mansion there, as do the Beckhams, whom they once counted as friends before Harry and Meghan reportedly suspected them of leaking stories to the press.
Another option seems to be the Northampton area. Just north of the Cotswolds and close to Althorp Estate, it’s where Princess Diana grew up and is now buried. Harry and Meghan took their kids there to visit during their recent July trip.
Archie and Lilibet are already enrolled in British schools, ready to start their new lives in September. (More on that below.)
Hold on—didn’t they have huge problems in the U.K.?
They did, on multiple fronts.
After Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal life, the couple lost the taxpayer-funded police security that came as part of the deal, and Harry said he no longer felt safe in the U.K. He even filed a lawsuit (which he lost) against the Home Office and the Metropolitan police to get the protection back, then made multiple trips to London and the U.K. without his wife and kids over security concerns. He told the BBC, “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point.”
It remains to be seen how the security will be managed moving forward. Since Harry and Meghan remain non-working royals, they still won’t receive taxpayer-funded protection. Britain’s prime minister, Andy Burnham, has already called the arrangements a “private matter.”
Harry has also been a long-term critic of the British tabloids and paparazzi, accusing them of not only turning his mother’s life into a nightmare but also causing her death in Paris in August 1997. Harry feared that history would repeat itself with Meghan. In July 2026, the prince lost a court case against the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, which he’d accused of using unlawful methods to gather information about him.
Then, of course, there was all the family drama. In his memoir, Spare, and a now-infamous Oprah interview, Harry said he felt “let down” by King Charles and claimed the royals had disliked Meghan from day one. Meghan herself revealed an unpleasant conversation behind closed doors about Archie’s skin color and said that she struggled so much with her mental health at one point that she no longer wanted to be alive. Harry also addressed his complicated relationship with William, claiming his brother had physically attacked him. These revelations didn’t go over well with the royal family—who religiously live by their “Never complain, never explain” rule—or the British public.
What prompted this move back to the U.K.?
Harry is reportedly the driving force behind this move, according to royal insiders. “Everyone presumes that Meghan calls the shots in their relationship, but Harry just got everything he wanted,” says royal expert Dan Wakeford, the founder of Celebrity Intelligence and former editor-in-chief of People. “This is the exact arrangement people close to Harry described in April—a man who missed his family, his friends, his old life and who’d be content to downsize if it meant getting some of that back.”
During the Sussexes’ visit to the U.K. in July, Charles got to see his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet for the first time in four years. And it wasn’t just that Harry and crew had fun with him and other family members: Charles is still undergoing cancer treatments two years after his initial diagnosis, so Harry might just want to be closer to his dad.
Last but not least, Harry’s and Meghan’s business ventures in the U.S. haven’t quite worked out as planned. Their Netflix show was axed, and the partnership with Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As ever, ended. This could be a fresh start for them, even though they will reportedly keep their home in Montecito, California, along with their vacation home in Portugal.
Does this mean they’ll become working royals again?
No. Or at least not for the time being. According to reports, Charles has made it clear behind closed doors that the Sussexes will remain private citizens rather than working royals, while William, as the future king, is equally unlikely to propose a royal comeback considering their ongoing tensions.
So what will the couple actually do? Harry will likely spend more time with his U.K.-based charities, including WellChild, Scotty’s Little Soldiers and the Invictus community, while Meghan plans to keep running As ever from the family’s new home base. While some say this is proof that the pair has successfully navigated the “half in, half out” plan they initially proposed to Queen Elizabeth II (living an independent life while still representing the royal family), the British side of the family seems to have no interest in the arrangement. In reality, Harry and Meghan will most likely continue to pursue business ventures, but will do so strictly as private citizens and not representatives of the royal family.
Will Archie and Lilibet be going to school with their cousins?
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Technically they could, but we believe it’s unlikely. For privacy reasons, it hasn’t been announced what school Archie and Lilibet will go to in the U.K. Kate’s and William’s kids Charlotte and Louis currently attend Lambrook School in Berkshire, a prep school about a 10-minute drive from their home in Windsor. And George, who just graduated from Lambrook, is about to start at Eton College, a nearby elite boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18—the same one William and Harry attended as teenagers.
What does this mean for Harry’s relationship with Charles, William and the rest of the family?
That remains to be seen. Last year, Harry confirmed on the BBC what we all knew: that the relationship with his family was frosty. But he also admitted openly that he “would love a reconciliation.” So could this be it?
British media outlets are reporting that Harry and Meghan informed King Charles about their move rather than made the decision together as a family. It also looks like there had been no mention of the plans when they visited him in Highgrove just a few weeks ago, so we can only imagine the monarch must have been as surprised as we are! Considering that Charles hadn’t seen his grandchildren for four years prior to the whirlwind visit, he will probably still be pleased that he might see more of his family in the future, despite all the drama in the past.
As for William, those fences won’t be mended overnight. After all, the brothers have always had a complicated relationship. And they fully fell out when Harry and Meghan quit The Firm and Harry publicly aired his issues with his big brother. As royal biographer Robert Jobson told Hello! magazine after the news dropped, “I feel that William must be slightly aghast by the whole thing. The prodigal son coming back will be difficult for him. Harry’s move puts pressure on him to act in a more pragmatic way.”
But they are brothers, and family has a way of coming back together over time. And hey, who wouldn’t love a happy ending for Diana’s boys?
Sources:
- The Telegraph: “Harry and Meghan plan move back to Britain”
- People: “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Make Shocking Move Back to the U.K. with Kids Archie and Lilibet (Exclusive)”
- BBC: “Harry and Meghan are experts in surprise – but why are they returning to UK now?”
- BBC: “Prince Harry will not be joined by Meghan and children on London trip”
- CBS: “Prince Harry: The 60 Minutes Interview Transcript”
- GBN: “Home Secretary will NOT make decision on Sussexes’ security amid bitter years-long feud over tax-funded police protection”
- Sky: “The King meets with Prince Harry, Duchess of Sussex, Archie and Lilibet for first time in four years”
- Tatler: “A glimpse inside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s poignant, private visit to Althorp, Princess Diana’s childhood home”
- Hello: “Prince William left ‘slightly aghast’ by Prince Harry’s decision to return to UK with his family”
- Spare by Prince Harry
The post See Ya, California! Harry and Meghan Are Making a Surprising New Move—Here’s What’s Going On appeared first on Reader's Digest.
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