Prince Harry and Meghan Return to the UK with Archie and Lilibet

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have returned to the UK with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to begin a new chapter after six years in California. The family of four landed at Birmingham Airport shortly before midday on a Wednesday, having flown overnight on a private Bombardier Global Express XRS long-range business jet from California Hello Magazine.

Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, have been enrolled in British schools and are expected to start in September. Their exact location in the UK is being kept private, though some reports have pointed to the Cotswolds Hello Magazine. People magazine reported the relocation is for an extended period, not a brief visit People.

The move had been trailed for days. The Independent reported on 26 August that the couple were expected back before the new school term The Independent. Elle magazine confirmed the family had landed after flying privately from California Elle.

Harry described himself as a "full-time dad, British Army veteran, Prince of England" when asked his occupation on Joe Marler's podcast, Joe Marler Will See You Now, last month Hello Magazine. Friends told Hello Magazine that this routine will not change in the UK. While the children are at school, Harry will take calls and hold meetings with his patronages and organisations — some now face-to-face rather than over a screen. He is expected to do the school run and watch Archie and Lilibet play sport Hello Magazine.

Meghan will continue to work on her range of As Ever products, including a recently launched spiced apple butter Hello Magazine. There are also reports that she could return to acting with a role in season three of Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen on Netflix, though counter-reports suggest the offer has been withdrawn Hello Magazine.

On the family side, King Charles is said to welcome the opportunity to see more of Harry and the Sussex children. The Prince and Princess of Wales have not commented publicly. William, 44, is described as estranged from his brother. The Waleses were spotted at Balmoral over the weekend and departed on the Thursday before the Sussexes' arrival, as Hello Magazine confirmed Hello Magazine.

Archie was born in the UK in 2019 before the family moved to California; Lilibet was born there in 2021 Hello Magazine. A recent photo shared by Meghan showed Archie looking strikingly like his father Hello Magazine. On Marler's podcast, Harry also spoke about how Archie and Lilibet support him on his "hard" days Hello Magazine.

The BBC noted that the couple chose a private flight over a commercial one, and the Telegraph carried a photograph of the Sussexes' plane at the West Midlands airport Hello Magazine.

What makes this return resonate beyond the travel logistics is its domestic texture. A prince who left royal life in 2020 is coming back not to resume duties but to do the school run, attend meetings with charities, and watch his children play sport — the ordinary rhythms of family life, played out in a country he left under very different circumstances.