Prince Harry and Meghan Moving Back to UK and Have School Places

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to Britain and have school places for their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The dramatic news first broke in the British press, including The Sun newspaper, but has been confirmed to Newsweek. The couple won't resume their roles as working members of the royal family. It comes six years after they quit Britain for a new life in America. Harry and Meghan have lived in California since stepping back from royal duties in 2020. After initially staying in Los Angeles, they purchased a home in the affluent community of Montecito, in Santa Barbara County, where they have raised Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, while building their post-royal careers.

Newsweek has been told the move was not discussed with the king when he met the Sussex family at his Highgrove estate, in Gloucestershire, in July, but he welcomes the opportunity to spend more time with them in a personal capacity. Prior to July, Charles, who is undergoing cancer treatment, had not seen his grandchildren since 2021, when Archie was three and Lilibet was celebrating her first birthday.

While the news will come as a shock to many there were signs of a shift in Prince Harry's attitude to America since 2024 and the reelection of President Donald Trump. At the same time, his attitude to Britain also shifted and he wrote an essay in November about his love of his home country. "Though currently, I may live in the United States, Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for," he wrote. Some coverage at the time paid particular attention to his use of the word "currently." In December, they rebranded their charity from the Archewell Foundation to Archewell Philanthropies, indicating at the time there would be redundancies. Newsweek was told the move meant it would cease running its own programs, acting instead as a funding vehicle for other organizations. And in January, Newsweek reported this rebrand meant they had passed on a major project, the Archewell Parents Network, to a third party. While the step did not prove they were planning to move back to Britain, it was consistent with such an intention.

Announcement Sparks Jabs, Quips Online

Broadcaster Piers Morgan took to X reacting to the news, saying, "I may have to emigrate to the U.S."

Podcast host Katie Miller, who is married to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, said on X, "Meghan Markle gave this Exclusive to People Magazine. She always just wanted to be a celebrity." She added in a follow-up post, "They are moving back to Britain because they don't like President Trump."

Meghan McCain, political commentator, author and daughter of the late-Republican U.S. Senator John McCain and Cindy McCain, said, "One thing about Americans is we can see through bulls*** and we don't like entitled grifters. They could never hack it here and truly no one gives a s*** about d list royals. Good luck to our friends in the UK, they're your problem now."

Author and columnist Sophia A. Nelson questioned the move, saying on X Wednesday, "This is a joke, right? Why on earth would Duchess Meghan go back there? Or Prince Harry? WOW!!!"

Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly, a frequent critic of Harry and Meghan, wrote on X, "We've done our time here in America my dear friend!"

The Associated Press contributed to this article.