Prince Harry and Meghan are returning to the UK with their children

LONDON, 20 AUGUST 2026 —

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will spend several months in the United Kingdom starting this autumn, but will not resume their roles as working royals.

The family will live in a private residence outside London while keeping their homes in Montecito, California, and Portugal. Their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, have enrolled in British schools and will begin classes in September.

Harry confirmed the plans to his father, King Charles III, on Sunday. Charles is currently receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer. The couple visited the UK last month, their first trip together since 2022.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on speculation about non-working royals. A representative for Harry and Meghan also declined to respond.

Meghan will continue to lead her production company, As Ever, from the UK, while Harry plans to spend more time with his UK-based charities, according to a source close to the Sussexes.

The move follows years of strained relations between the Sussexes and the royal family. In 2018, the couple left Britain for California, citing a desire to escape the restrictions of royal life and what they described as insensitivity toward Meghan’s mental health. In his memoir Spare, Harry alleged that a senior royal had made racist remarks about Meghan while she was pregnant with their first child.

Those tensions deepened as Harry pursued legal action against British tabloids, accusing them of phone hacking and privacy violations. In the latest case, a court ruled that Harry and other plaintiffs must pay millions of pounds in legal fees after Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, presented bills totalling £34.5 million ($47 million).

Harry also clashed with the British government over security arrangements. A government committee refused to provide armed police protection for the family during UK visits, prompting Harry to take legal action. Last year, he lost that case but has since indicated a desire to reconcile with his father.

During their visit last month, Harry met with King Charles at his Highgrove estate in western England, while Meghan and the children joined for part of the trip. It marked the first time Archie and Lilibet had seen their grandfather since the late Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee in 2022.

Relations with Harry’s brother, Prince William, the heir to the throne, remain cool. Peter Hunt, a former BBC royal correspondent, suggested the announcement would unsettle William.

“In the short term, Harry will be able to deepen his rapprochement with his father,” Hunt told the Press Association. “And his presence back home will make it harder for his brother to duck a reconciliation.”