Prince Harry and Meghan to Relocate to Britain, Six Years After Stepping Back from Royal Duties
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are planning to move back to Britain this month, six years after they stepped away from royal duties and relocated to the United States.
Reuters reported on 19 August 2026 that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will soon return to live in Britain, citing media reports. CNN separately reported on 20 August that the couple plan to relocate from the US later in August to a private residence outside London. According to The Telegraph, as relayed by Reuters, the couple will not live in a royal residence and will remain non-working royals — a status agreed with the late Queen Elizabeth II when they stepped back from frontline royal duties in 2020.
The Times reported that Harry is bringing Meghan and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, back to the UK. A face-to-face meeting between King Charles and Prince Harry took place at Highgrove, the King's private residence in Gloucestershire, a few weeks before the relocation plans became public.
News of the return broke on a Wednesday evening at 10pm, when King Charles and Prince William were together in Scotland. The royal family had gathered at Balmoral, the monarch's estate in Aberdeenshire, for their summer holidays. The Times reported that William was with the King when the news reached them. The King and Queen were hosting the Prince and Princess of Wales at Balmoral at the time.
HELLO! magazine's Royal Editor Emily Nash said that William and Kate were "likely not delighted" about the development, though she noted that the Waleses were informed of the relocation plans beforehand rather than learning of them alongside the rest of the world. The Times, in an article titled "King Charles makes clear Prince Harry will not be his priority," reported that William and the royal family's future remain the monarch's focus.
Other family members have been arriving at Balmoral through the week. On the Friday following the news, Princess Anne, Zara and Mike Tindall, Prince Edward and James, Earl of Wessex, were pictured driving into the estate, according to HELLO! magazine. Peter Phillips and his new wife Harriet Sperling were spotted at Balmoral earlier in the week, the Daily Mail reported.
Harry's connection to Balmoral has a complicated recent history. The Times reported in November 2023 that during a summer stay at Balmoral, King Charles had invited Harry to spend time with him there, but Harry's itinerary made it impossible. He was last seen leaving Balmoral by car shortly before 8.30am in September 2022, having arrived in the UK the previous weekend following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Times also reported in March 2026 that Harry hopes the King will invite his family to Sandringham, the monarch's Norfolk estate, this summer, and that he wants Meghan and the children to see Charles. Whether that invitation will now materialise, given the family is already gathered at Balmoral, is not yet confirmed.
For now, the practical picture is clear: a private residence outside London, no royal residence, no return to working royal status. The emotional picture, as ever with the Sussexes and the House of Windsor, is rather more layered.
