Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Set for Major UK Return With Archie and Lilibet Six Years After Royal Exit

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are preparing for their biggest change in family life since stepping away from royal duties in 2020, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex planning to establish a new home base in Britain.

PEOPLE understands that Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, will relocate to the U.K. with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, for an extended period beginning this month. Their children are expected to start school in Britain in September.

The move will not mean abandoning the life the Sussexes have built overseas. They intend to retain their Montecito, California, residence as well as their vacation property in Portugal while establishing a private, non-royal home in the U.K.

For privacy reasons, the location of their British residence and the school Archie and Lilibet will attend are being kept confidential.

King Charles informed of the Sussexes’ plans

The move gives Harry and Meghan their first British home base since they relinquished Frogmore Cottage, their former Windsor residence.

The late Queen Elizabeth had given the couple use of Frogmore Cottage, but King Charles asked them to vacate the property in 2023 following the publication of Harry’s memoir, Spare.

PEOPLE understands that Charles, 77, was informed of the Sussexes’ latest plans on Sunday, August 16. The King is said to welcome the prospect of spending more time with Harry, Meghan and their children on a personal and private basis.

However, the move does not signal a return to royal duties.

Charles is understood to have made clear that Harry and Meghan will remain private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family, consistent with the arrangement established when they stepped back from their official roles.

The development follows the Sussex family’s recent summer visit to Britain, during which Archie and Lilibet reunited with their grandfather for the first time in more than four years.

A version of the independent life Harry and Meghan originally wanted

Those close to the Sussexes believe the couple have effectively achieved the kind of independent model they envisioned years ago.

Their new arrangement will allow Harry to spend considerably more time in Britain supporting organizations including Scotty’s Little Soldiers and WellChild, along with his work connected to the Invictus community.

Meghan, meanwhile, is expected to continue running her lifestyle company, As Ever, while pursuing other projects from the couple’s international bases.

Supporters of the couple point out that Harry and Meghan have established financial independence, covering their own mortgage and expenses without relying on taxpayer funding while continuing to champion causes important to them.

The Sussexes’ longer-term residential plans remain unclear, but the new British base gives the family considerably greater flexibility.

Security concerns appear to have reached a turning point

Perhaps the most significant element of the decision is what it suggests about Harry’s longstanding concerns over his family’s safety in Britain.

After Harry and Meghan stopped working as senior royals, they lost taxpayer-funded police protection. Harry subsequently pursued a lengthy legal battle over the security arrangements available to him and his family.

He has argued that the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, known as RAVEC, should carry out a new risk assessment, saying one has not been conducted in more than six years.

A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan declined to comment on security.

Nevertheless, establishing a family base in Britain represents a significant shift from Harry’s previous reluctance to bring Meghan and their children back to the country under the existing arrangements.

More UK commitments are already approaching

Harry had already been expected to return to Britain in September, even before news of the family’s relocation emerged.

His upcoming commitments include activities connected to WellChild, the children’s charity he has supported for more than 20 years, as well as the Invictus Games.

The schedule also includes the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards and gala, although sources close to the Sussexes have not confirmed whether Harry and Meghan will attend.

A more permanent foothold in Britain would make it easier for Harry to maintain these charitable relationships without repeatedly facing questions over accommodation.

Insiders have previously described the constant speculation about where Harry would stay during British visits as a “circus.” Securing a private residence appears to resolve at least that part of the problem.

Six turbulent years since leaving royal life

Harry and Meghan departed Britain in 2020 following mounting tensions within the Royal Family, particularly between Harry and his brother, Prince William.

Those divisions intensified after the Sussexes’ interview with Oprah Winfrey, their Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan and Harry’s 2023 memoir Spare.

The couple subsequently established their family life in Montecito.

More recently, they have also expressed dissatisfaction with developments in the United States.

Harry publicly responded after President Donald Trump said in January 2026 that NATO allies had “stayed a little back” from the frontlines during the war in Afghanistan.

Harry, who served in Afghanistan, responded: “I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there.”

Trump later commented on Meghan in May during remarks to royal biographer Robert Hardman, saying, “Boy, what she’s done to that guy [Harry].”

Harry may have hinted at a return last year

There were possible indications of Harry’s interest in bringing his family back to Britain long before the current plans emerged.

Singer Joss Stone recalled speaking with him at the WellChild Awards in September 2025 after she had moved her own family back to Britain following several years in Nashville.

According to Stone, Harry showed genuine curiosity about how her family was adjusting.

“He asked about how we were settling back in and was genuinely interested in our move home,” she told Hello!

Stone said Harry was especially interested in the impact the relocation had on her children, discussing British schools and the importance of community.

“He was saying how wonderful the schools are here and how important community is for children,” she recalled.

Harry and Charles make progress, but William rift remains

The move comes as Harry appears to be gradually rebuilding his relationship with his father.

His relationship with William, however, remains deeply strained.

Despite speculation that relations between the brothers might have improved, PEOPLE understands there continues to be “no contact” between them.

A source close to the situation said in July that they had expected the hostility to ease somewhat by now, but claimed there had been “no movement, especially on William’s side.”

Harry has nevertheless publicly expressed a desire to end the family conflict.

“I would love reconciliation with my family,” he told the BBC in 2025. “There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”

The Sussexes still have strong connections in Britain and Portugal

Harry retains a network of longtime friends in the U.K., while Meghan also has personal connections there. Among them is her college friend Lindsay Jill Roth, who divides her time between London and Chicago with her husband and their two sons.

The Sussexes also remain close to Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, who divide their own time between Britain and Portugal.

The two families now share another geographic connection through Portugal, where Eugenie welcomed her and Brooksbank’s third child, a daughter, earlier this summer.

Their recent family visit may have previewed what was coming

The Sussexes’ latest trip to Britain initially unfolded amid continued uncertainty over whether Harry considered the country safe enough for Meghan, Archie and Lilibet.

After Harry completed several days of charitable engagements, Meghan and the children traveled from Portugal to join him.

The family then privately reunited with King Charles at Highgrove House, giving the monarch his first opportunity to see Archie and Lilibet in more than four years.

Harry, Meghan and their children subsequently traveled to Althorp House, the Spencer family estate where Princess Diana spent much of her childhood and where she is buried.

They spent time with members of the wider Spencer family and are believed to have visited Diana’s gravesite, located on an island in the estate’s Oval Lake.

The Sussexes continued traveling around Britain for several days before Meghan shared photographs from the family trip showing peaceful lakeside landscapes, beaches and swimming pools.

At the time, the images appeared to capture a private family vacation. With Harry and Meghan now preparing to establish a British home once again, the visit may also have offered an early glimpse of a much bigger change ahead.