LONDON — Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who exiled themselves six years ago amid royal family discord, are moving back to Britain from California, according to multiple media reports Wednesday.
According to the BBC and other British media outlets, Harry and Meghan are establishing a private, nonroyal residence outside London. Their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, are enrolled to begin at a British school in September.
The family is expected to keep their home in Montecito, California, as well as a vacation property in Portugal, suggesting the return may not be permanent.
The move also does not necessarily represent a full rapprochement with the royal family, particularly between Harry and his older brother, William, the Prince of Wales, with whom his relations reportedly remain chilly.
Harry had said he did not feel safe bringing his family back to Britain without security protection and had been embroiled in a legal dispute, which he eventually lost, over the degree of official security protection Britain would provide.
There was no indication on Wednesday that the move would result in any change in security arrangements.
Harry and his family spent time with his father, King Charles III, last month, during a visit that included Queen Camilla at Highgrove, in Gloucestershire — reportedly the first time the king had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years. Royal watchers afterward described Harry as “buoyed” and “energized” by the reunion.
In September 2025, Harry and Charles met for tea for the first time after the prince said his father wasn’t speaking to him.
British media reported that Harry and Meghan would not resume official royal duties; multiple outlets stressed the couple will remain private individuals.
Buckingham Palace had not issued a formal statement on the reported move Wednesday, and a palace spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
Neither Harry nor Meghan have publicly confirmed the plans. The reports on their return were based on accounts from unnamed sources close to the family and the monarchy, as is often the case with royal developments in Britain.
A British government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive royal family dynamics, said late Wednesday that Harry’s return seemed “possible” but that it remained “essentially a family matter.”
The story was first reported Wednesday night by the Daily Telegraph.
Charles was informed of the plan on Sunday and, according to sources cited by the BBC, “welcomes the opportunity to see more of the Sussex family in a private and personal capacity.” The BBC also reported that William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, were notified of the move.
Harry and Meghan stepped back as working royals in January 2020, citing what they later described, in a 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview and subsequent Netflix documentary series, as an unsupportive and at times racially insensitive royal institution.
They relocated to Santa Barbara County, California, where they built a media and lifestyle business, including Meghan’s “As ever” brand.
Harry, a British army veteran who deployed twice to Afghanistan, has continued to be involved with the Invictus Games, which he founded for wounded servicemen and women. The Games are scheduled to be held in Birmingham in July 2027, and Harry is expected to be closely involved.
Since the couple’s departure to North America, Charles was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024, discovered incidentally during treatment for a separate prostate condition.
He underwent a lengthy course of treatment while continuing his duties largely out of public view. By December 2025, Charles announced his treatment would be reduced, with palace officials saying he “responded exceptionally well.”
“I don’t know how much longer my father has,” Harry told the BBC in a May 2025 interview. “Life is precious.”
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