Updated Aug. 19, 2026, 9:57 p.m. ET
After living overseas for several years, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are returning to Harry’s homeland. But does that mean their longstanding security concerns have been resolved?
On Aug. 19, People and The Telegraph reported that the couple and their children, 7-year-old Prince Archie and 5-year-old Princess Lilibet, are moving back to the U.K. six years after stepping away from their senior royal roles and relocating to Southern California.
According to the outlets, the move to Britain will take place in August, with the kids enrolling in school in September. Information about where they would be living has not been made public, though reports say they will not live in a royal residence and will also keep their homes in California and Portugal.
The decision appears to indicate the years-long rift between Harry, 41, and the royal family might be healing. Last month, Buckingham Palace confirmed to BBC that Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet met with King Charles III, 77, and Queen Camilla, 79, at Highgrove House, the king and queen’s private country residence in Gloucestershire. The reunion marked the first time the family had gathered together in four years.
The reunion seemed unlikely at first; from the outset, Harry’s trip showed signs of the fissure that formed after he and his wife planted roots in the U.S. The Duke of Sussex’s team and Buckingham Palace offered conflicting reports about why he was not permitted to stay at Buckingham Palace.
Why Prince Harry, Meghan don’t have security protection in England
The Sussexes were not provided taxpayer-funded police security during their stay. Amid those security concerns, Harry attended various engagements around London solo. Meghan and the children joined him later in the week, after he left the capital.
When Meghan and Harry stepped back from their royal roles – a decision they have said was made in part due to alleged racism from his family and the public, as well as feeling unprotected in the face of online threats and abuse – they lost publicly-funded security protection. Harry has taken the matter to court, but three Court of Appeal judges ultimately ruled against him.
Harry has often cited his family’s safety as the reason for not returning home. He told BBC last year that despite his love for his country and desire to “show my children my homeland,” “I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point.”
Harry alleged in the May 2025 BBC interview that his father, who has been battling cancer since 2024, wouldn’t “speak to me because of this security stuff” but stated that, nonetheless, he “would love a reconciliation.” Months later, they spent time together at the monarch’s London home, Clarence House.
Harry’s recent UK trip was rife with safety concerns
In a statement to USA TODAY on June 29 regarding where the Duke of Sussex would stay during his trip, Harry’s spokesperson said that “the issue has never been accommodation” and that “the issue is whether appropriate and proportionate protective security is being provided throughout the entirety of the visit.”
A royal residence would come with royal security, though Harry’s spokesman noted that “safe accommodation is only one element of an effective protective security plan because risk follows the person, not the place.”
An assessment by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, or Ravec, which determines security provisions for senior royals and other public figures had not yet taken place, the spokesperson said at the time.
“The Duke continues to explore every available option to enable the visit to proceed safely and to give his children the opportunity to enjoy the U.K.,” his spokesman said.
Where Meghan, Archie and Lilibet stayed during their U.K. trip was not publicly revealed, though the duchess later shared photos of the family of four enjoying a summer vacation in Portugal.
British tabloids were among reasons why Prince Harry wouldn’t ‘bring my wife back’ to the UK
Harry has previously been frank in revealing British tabloid culture was one of the reasons he had relocated his family from the U.K., calling the British press “toxic” to his mental health.
The royal over the years has waged several legal battles against media companies such as publishers for the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Daily Mirror over issues including illegally obtained private information.
Speaking to ITV News correspondent Rebecca Barry in the July 2024 documentary “Tabloids on Trial,” the Duke of Sussex opened up about why he saw tabloid reports as a risk to his family’s safety.
“It’s still dangerous and all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff, to act on what they have read – and whether it’s a knife or acid or whatever it is … these are things that are a genuine concern for me,” Prince Harry said. “It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
The interview took place after he won his phone hacking lawsuit against the Daily Mirror’s publisher, which saw a court award him around $180,000 in damages.
“They pushed me too far. It got to a point where you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t,” he said of taking legal action against publishers. He also admitted his court battles have caused “part of a rift” with the royal family.
Contributing: Liza Esquibias, USA TODAY
