---
title: "Harry and Meghan to move back to the UK after six years in California"
description: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will relocate to a private residence outside London before the end of August, with their children enrolled to start at a British school in September. The couple will remain private individuals, with no plans to return to working royal duties."
category: "Culture"
category_url: https://newsparlor.com/category/culture
author: "Lucas Silva"
published: 2026-08-19T22:26:12.000Z
updated: 2026-08-19T22:26:12.000Z
canonical: https://newsparlor.com/article/harry-and-meghan-to-move-back-to-the-uk-after-six-years-in-california
tags: ["royal-family", "prince-harry", "meghan", "uk", "monarchy"]
---
# Harry and Meghan to move back to the UK after six years in California

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will relocate to a private residence outside London before the end of August, with their children enrolled to start at a British school in September. The couple will remain private individuals, with no plans to return to working royal duties.

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are moving back to the United Kingdom six years after they stepped away from royal duties and settled in California, [British media reported on Wednesday](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/prince-harry-meghan-return-uk-213032868.html). The couple plan to relocate later this month to a private, non-royal residence outside London, whose location is being withheld for privacy reasons.

Their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, [are enrolled to start at a British school in September](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/prince-harry-meghan-return-uk-213032868.html), the clearest sign that the family intends the move to be more than a visit. The couple [will keep their home in Montecito, California, as well as a property in Portugal](https://www.hola.com/us/royals/20260819919054/prince-harry-meghan-markle-moving-back-to-the-uk/), and Meghan is expected to continue running her lifestyle brand, As Ever, from their new British base.

## No return to royal duties

The move does not change the couple's standing within the monarchy. There are [no current plans for either Harry or Meghan to resume roles as working royals](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/prince-harry-meghan-return-uk-213032868.html); they will remain private individuals. King Charles was told of the decision on the Sunday before the announcement, and is understood to welcome the chance to see more of the Sussex family.

The relocation follows a gradual thaw in a relationship that had been publicly strained for years. In July, Harry, Meghan and their children visited the King at Highgrove, his Gloucestershire residence, in what was described as a private family occasion, the monarch's first in-person visit with the couple's children in more than four years. The move itself was reportedly not discussed at that meeting.

## From 'Megxit' to a measured return

Harry and Meghan announced in January 2020 that they would step back as senior members of the royal family, a rupture that came to be known as "Megxit." A hoped-for arrangement in which they would keep some royal responsibilities while pursuing independent careers was rejected, and the couple moved that year to Montecito, where they built a portfolio of media and business ventures, including productions for Netflix.

Meghan's visits to Britain since have been rare; she was last in the country for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022. Harry returned more often, though his trips were complicated by a long legal fight over the level of police protection his family receives in the UK, a challenge he ultimately lost on appeal.

## A recalibration, not a reversal

The decision to keep homes in California and Portugal suggests the couple are recalibrating rather than reversing their 2020 choice. People familiar with the plans have indicated the UK is intended to be the family's primary home for an extended period, though no final decision has been made on permanence.

Even so, the symbolism is considerable. The couple's departure dominated coverage of the monarchy for years and hardened into estrangement, with Harry saying in the couple's 2022 Netflix docuseries that he wanted "a family, not an institution." Enrolling their children in British schools and settling within reach of the King points, at minimum, to a family choosing proximity over distance, and it gives the reconciliation that began quietly this summer a permanent address.

## Sources

- [Prince Harry and Meghan will move back to UK after 6 years in US](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/prince-harry-meghan-return-uk-213032868.html)
- [Prince Harry and Meghan Will Move Back to U.K. After 6 Years in U.S.](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/19/world/europe/prince-harry-meghan-return-uk.html)
- [Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to the U.K. six years after royal exit](https://www.hola.com/us/royals/20260819919054/prince-harry-meghan-markle-moving-back-to-the-uk/)