The prime minister has said that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s security is a “private matter” as they are set to return to the UK later this month.
In a shock development six years after they releocated to the US, the couple are expected to make their home in a non-royal residence outside London and have already enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in British schools.
It comes as the Duke of Sussex has been in a protracted legal battle with the Home Office over security arrangements for him and his family while in the UK, after his level of protection changed when he stepped down as a working royal in 2020.
Asked if the government would pay for their protection, Andy Burnham said: "It's a matter for Harry and Meghan and we wish them well in the move that they’re making."
King Charles, who is living with cancer, was first made aware of the move on Sunday, three days before the news was made public, but he is understood to welcome the opportunity to see more of the family.
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Key Points
- The Sussexes to return to the UK
- Prince of Wales likely left 'apoplectic' by news of his estranged brother
- King was first made aware of family's return just days ago
- Where will Harry and Meghan live?
- Trump's MAGA allies mock Harry and Meghan over UK return
- Burnham says security for Harry and Meghan is a private matter
13 truths about Disneyland Cotswolds that Harry and Meghan should know
16:00 , Bryony GoochAs it is announced that Harry and Meghan are to return to live in the UK, speculation is mounting that they could move to the Cotswolds. Good luck with that, says long-time resident Julian Linley, who pulls back the curtain on what life is really like beyond the Disney-esque fantasy...
Read more here:
13 truths about the Cotswolds that Harry and Meghan should know if they move there
Watch: Harry and Meghan’s children ‘won’t be going to state school’, says Education Secretary
15:30 , Bryony GoochHow much the royal family costs the UK
15:15 , Jane DaltonWhether Harry and Meghan will have taxpayer-funded security in the UK is not known, but this is what the royal family costs at the moment:
How much does the royal family cost? Key figures as Sovereign Grant increases again
Watch: Harry and Meghan’s return ‘great endorsement’ of education system
15:00 , Jane Dalton
Harry and Meghan’s UK return a ‘great endorsement’ of education system, says Powell
What we don't know as Harry and Megan are set to return to the UK
14:45 , Bryony GoochWe don’t know the exact date the Sussexes will return to the UK.
Whereabouts they will live remains unclear, as does the school Lilibet and Archie will go to.
The reaction of his estranged brother William, and his wife Catherine, remains unknown.
Prospect of rival courts raised as Harry returns to UK amid rift with William
14:15 , Bryony GoochThe Sussexes’ return to the UK opens up the prospect of two “rival” royal courts, a commentator has said, as the rift between Harry and William shows no sign of abating.
Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said: “In the long term, the return of the Sussexes to the UK opens up the prospect of two rival courts – William’s and Harry’s.
“In the short term, Harry will be able to deepen his rapprochement with his father.”
He suggested the Duke of Sussex’s return could make his elder brother furious.
“(Harry’s) presence back home will make it harder for his brother to duck a reconciliation,” Mr Hunt said.
“The surprise return of Harry and Meghan is likely to have left William apoplectic.”
Recap: Meghan previously said she wouldn't want to send her children to school in the UK
14:00 , Bryony GoochQuotes from 2022 have been unearthed showing that Meghan was reluctant to send her children to school in the UK as she’d never be able to do school pickup and drop-off without “it being a royal photo call with a press pen of 40 people snapping pictures.”
She told The Cut: “Sorry, I have a problem with that. That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child.”
In pictures: Prince Harry seen smiling as he attends a roundtable hours after UK return announced
13:45 , Bryony Gooch
Warning of 'pile-on' against Meghan
13:29 , Jane DaltonA former BBC royal correspondent has warned that Meghan could face a torrent of criticism.
Jennie Bond told Sky News: “I think we should beware a pile-on on Meghan in particular, and I can see that already happening.
“This is the decision they’ve made probably for the sake of their children, as much as for Harry.
“Perhaps Meghan is taking one for the team here, because I’m not sure this is her life’s desire – to live back in the UK.”
Harry moving to the UK - what we know so far
13:15 , Bryony GoochPrince Harry, Meghan and their two children are set to move back to the UK by the end of this month.
They will live outside of London and have already enrolled Lilibet and Archie in schools as the academic year is set to begin at the start of September.
King Charles is understood to welcome the opportunity to see more of the family.
Watch: Camilla speaks about difficulty of keeping King's cancer diagnosis a secret during charity visit
13:00 , Bryony GoochHarry may have spoken to Diana's family about move to UK, says royal commentator
12:45 , Bryony GoochHarry may have spoken to his mother Diana’s family about his move back to the UK, a royal commentator has suggested.
Royal commentator Jennie Bond, told Sky News that while the rift between Harry and much of the Royal Family is well known, he has remained close to Diana's family.
Bond said she believed that Harry "remains quite close" with the Spencer side of his family.
"Harry has remained throughout close to the Spencer side of the family. His two aunts, Diana's sisters, and his uncle, her brother, and perhaps he talked [the move] through with them.
"Maybe he's going to live up their way... Again, we don't know and I think that's a shame because we're all left speculating."
Where could Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet go to school in the UK?
12:30 , Bryony GoochPrince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children are set to attend British schools in September following the shock announcement that they will be returning from California this month.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to have already enrolled their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, in school.
Read more here:
Where could Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet go to school in the UK?
Burnham says security for Harry and Meghan is a private matter
12:28 , Bryony GoochAndy Burnham said that Harry and Meghan’s security as they are set to return to the UK is a “private matter”.
Speaking in Bradford, he said: “It's a matter for Harry and Meghan and we wish them well in the move that they're making,” when asked by reporters whether the government would pay for their security.
Meghan and Harry 'forced to tell the King earlier than they wanted to'
12:21 , Bryony GoochThe journalist who broke the news that Harry and Meghan are moving back to the UK said that she was aware of their decision “for quite a long time”.
Victoria Ward, deputy royal editor at the Daily Telegraph, told Sky News: “I think they were hoping to keep it under wraps for another week or two until they were actually here, but the cat's out of the bag, and therefore they were forced to tell the King maybe slightly earlier than they even wanted to."
Sussexes should 'keep a much lower profile' in order to stay safe, says former royal protection officer
12:15 , Bryony GoochA former royal protection officer has warned Harry and Meghan is to "keep a much lower profile than you have so far" in order to keep safe.
As the Home Office offered no comment on the family’s security situation in the UK, Dai Davis told Sky News: "I'm sad to say that if they continue with their high profile media, then keeping them safe from either terrorism or fixated individuals raises the pressure quite considerably."
He said keeping a lower profile would be an answer, but moving into a non-royal residence raised further problems: "If they go somewhere new, that place would have to be reconnoitred. It would have to have technical support, a whole manner of things, including potentially a safe room - hugely expensive and would take time."
Watch: Prince Harry and Meghan to move back to the UK
12:00 , Bryony GoochCamilla reveals she almost let slip King Charles’ cancer diagnosis before official announcement
11:40 , Bryony GoochThe Queen reflected publicly for the first time on the emotional strain of keeping the King’s cancer diagnosis private prior to the official announcement.
Attending a public engagement at a Maggie’s cancer support facility in 2024, Camilla carried out her duties in full knowledge of Charles’s condition, just days before the news was released to the world.
Her thoughts on managing the troubling diagnosis behind closed doors were shared in a short film produced jointly by Buckingham Palace and Maggie’s to mark the charity’s 30th anniversary.
Read more here:
Camilla says she almost let slip King Charles’ cancer diagnosis before announcement
Sussexes 'testing the water' with move to UK as they retain homes in California and Portugal
11:20 , Bryony GoochThe Sussexes will retain their homes in Montecito, California, and Portugal, while the duchess will continue to run her lifestyle brand As Ever from their new base.
Ms Bond said the couple keeping their other properties could suggest they are “testing the water” with the move.
“The only word we’re getting from the Palace is that Harry and Meghan are not going to be working royals at all, and certainly not whilst they carry on with their commercial activity, or particularly Meghan’s, which I completely see she needs to do, and why shouldn’t she?” the broadcaster said.
“She’s an independent, relatively successful woman.
“They’re not giving up their property in California. They’ve also got a property in Portugal. And that would suggest they are testing the water somewhat.”
Harry and Meghan to move back at end of month
11:00 , Bryony Gooch
Prince Harry and Meghan to move back to the UK
Recap: Meghan and Harry on a date earlier this month: 'My husband loves bag pipes'
10:40 , Bryony GoochTrump’s MAGA allies mock Harry and Meghan over return to UK
10:30 , Bryony GoochA number of Donald Trump’s MAGA allies have mocked Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on social media after reports suggesting their decision to leave the United States is partly because of their dislike of President Donald Trump.
Read more here:
Trump’s MAGA allies mock Harry and Meghan over return to UK
Who is the best liked among the Royal Family?
10:23 , Bryony GoochPictured: A moment from Harry and Meghan's trip to Canada earlier this month
10:00 , Bryony Gooch
Former royal correspondent says Duchess of Sussex is 'taking one for the team' in UK move
09:45 , Bryony GoochThe Duchess of Sussex is “taking one for the team” by moving back to the UK with the Duke of Sussex and their children, Jennie Bond said.
The former royal correspondent, who covered the royal family for 14 years with the BBC, told Sky News: “I think we should beware a pile-on on Meghan in particular, and I can see that already happening. This is the decision they’ve made probably for the sake of their children, as much as for Harry.
“Perhaps Meghan is taking one for the team here, because I’m not sure this is her life’s desire to live back in the UK.”
She added: “The only word we’re getting from the Palace is that Harry and Meghan are not going to be working royals at all, and certainly not whilst they carry on with their commercial activity, or particularly Meghan’s, which I completely see she needs to do, and why shouldn’t she? She’s an independent, relatively successful woman.
“They’re not giving up their property in California. They’ve also got a property in Portugal. And that would suggest they are testing the water somewhat. We have to remember that this is a woman who said that she was driven to suicidal thoughts by the way she felt she was treated when she lived here as a member of the royal family. And that’s why I say, we must beware a pile-on.”
The broadcaster, who said she thought Harry had fought his “final courtroom battle”, also said the way in which the announcement was made was particularly surprising.
She said: “If I was the King, I’d actually be thinking, ‘Hang on, you came to tea with me, and we sat down and we chatted, and you didn’t even mention this?’ I find it entirely odd.
“I wish that they wouldn’t operate in this kind of secret way. Why didn’t they just put out a clear statement? Just tell us the facts, but we are left here just surmising and guessing at their reasons.”
Sussexes to return for 'longer than an extended period'
09:30 , Bryony GoochThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s return to the UK will be for “longer than an extended period”, said Queen Elizabeth II’s former press secretary.
Ailsa Anderson, who worked for the late Queen from 2001 to 2013, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “They do have two young children, they will be enrolling in school. You can’t flip-flop every two minutes and take them out of school and go back to the United States and then come back to the UK, so I can see that it’s going to be longer than an extended period.”
Ms Anderson also added that the “extraordinary surprise” for Harry to return may have been inspired by his visit to his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales’s ancestral home Althorp earlier this summer.
She said: “We know there’s been an ongoing issue with security. He has said until this is rectified he won’t be coming back to the United Kingdom, but clearly now he’s had a change of heart and he wants to come back to his motherland.
“And I wonder, because of the trip that he made earlier, and going back to his late mother’s ancestral home in Northamptonshire, whether that’s made a shift in his views, and he really wants to come back, because he’s missed his life here for the last six years.
“There will be questions asked, here is a non-working member of the royal family back in the United Kingdom. Should the British taxpayer really have to foot the bill for security?”
Pictured: Hours after news broke of his return to the UK, Harry addresses veterans in Washington
09:15 , Bryony Gooch
The Sussexes rumoured to move to the Cotswolds or Northampton - report
09:00 , Bryony GoochWhile it remains unclear where Harry and Meghan will move there family to, it’s certain they won’t move to London.
Instead, they are expected to move to the English countryside. The BBC has reported that the Cotswolds and Northampton area, close to the Spencer family estate in Althorp, are rumoured to be where they will settle.
Key events in Harry and Meghan’s rift with the royal family
08:45 , Bryony GoochPrince Harry and Meghan are planning to move their family back to the UK later this month after six years of living in the US, according to British media reports, but are not expected to return as working members of the royal family.
Read more here:
Harry and Meghan: Timeline of key events in the couple’s rift with the royal family
Pictured: Harry and Meghan with Archie and Lilibet
08:30 , Bryony GoochHarry and Meghan return: How the royal drama unfolded since Megxit
08:23 , Bryony GoochThe return of Harry and Meghan to the UK is just the latest bombshell in the long-running saga surrounding the couple since the infamous Megxit crisis.
Read more here:
Harry and Meghan return: How the royal drama unfolded since Megxit
When did Harry and Meghan quit Royal life?
08:17 , Bryony GoochHarry and Meghan announced in January 2020 that they wanted to step down as senior royals for a dual life, earning their own money in the US and supporting the monarch.
Queen Elizabeth II held a Sandringham summit to solve “Megxit” and the outcome was that the Sussexes’ semi-royal role was deemed untenable – they were either in or out.
The couple headed to California and quit as senior working royals completely in March 2020, just as the Covid pandemic took hold.
But from across the pond, the couple made statements alluding to a rift with the Royal Family.
In a television interview with talk show host Oprah Winfrey while the late Prince Philip, was ill in hospital in 2021, they claimed an unnamed royal had made a racist remark about their son’s skin tone before he was born and said that the monarchy failed to help a suicidal Meghan.
Meghan also revealed it was Kate who made her cry at a bridesmaid dress fitting ahead of the Sussexes’ wedding, and that the Palace refused to correct the initial reports that it was the other way round.
Harry's return comes months after he tried to find a way to safely bring Meghan and family to the UK
08:12 , Bryony GoochThe shock announcement comes less than two months after the duke was trying to find a way to safely bring his wife and children to the UK to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham.
At the end of June, he was still waiting for a review by the Risk Management Board (RMB), part of the process by which the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) rules on his security requirements – and he and his security detail were working behind the scenes to try to ensure the visit could take place safely.
Meghan was able to travel to the UK in July with Archie and Lilibet to join Harry when he came to the end of a week-long series of events promoting the games.
During the visit, the duke and duchess took their children to see the King for the first time in four years at his Highgrove home, but are not thought to have raised the prospect of a return to the UK at that meeting.
The Invictus Games take place from July 10-27 next year, with Birmingham expected to welcome around 550 wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, and their families, from 25 nations.
Minister declines to say if Harry and Meghan’s security arrangements will be reviewed
08:07 , Bryony GoochThe Independent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
A government minister has refused to say whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have their taxpayer-funded security arrangements reviewed ahead of their planned move back to the UK.
Education secretary Lucy Powell said the decision would be made by the security services and police, and said she found out about the move from social media last night.
Prince Harry has been fighting for police protection for him and his family on visits to the UK for several years, but there has not been an announcement of any change.
Asked whether they could be reviewed, Ms Powell told the BBC: “I mean, those are totally matters for the security services and the police.
“You know, whether that's me as a high-profile sort of public character in in politics or anybody else, those assessments are made by the security services and the police based on need, and they're not they're not something that politicians should or do get involved with.”
She added: “I’m sure that we are all pleased to see them coming back and living here, and hope that the reconciliation with the family continues because I think that's good. Good for the country, isn't it, to send out that signal?”
Minister ‘pleased to see’ Harry and Meghan’s return to the UK
08:03 , Bryony GoochPolitical reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
A government minister has said she is “pleased to see” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to move back to the UK this month.
Education secretary Lucy Powell hailed their decision to return to the UK and enrol their children in school here as a “great endorsement of our education system”.
“I hope they are able to live the private life that they that they want to do,” she told the BBC. “I'm pleased to see that they are coming back to to this country and choosing to live here, and I think it's a it's a great endorsement, isn't it, of our education system.”
She added: “We have a great education system here, and it is one of the things that actually attracts people from around the world. Whether it's our universities, whether it's our school system, and clearly they want their children educated here, and that’s great for them.”
King was first made aware of family's return just days ago
08:00 , Bryony GoochThe King, who is still living with cancer, was first made aware of the move on Sunday, only three days before it was made public, but is understood to welcome the opportunity to see more of the family both in a private and personal capacity.
The King last saw his son in July at Highgrove House in what was seen as a move to repair their relationship.
Where will Harry and Meghan live?
07:58 , Bryony GoochHarry and Meghan are expected to live in a non-royal residence outside of London as they return to the UK.
It remains unclear where they will live upon their arrival.
Harry says ‘world needs more heroes’ as he discusses veteran scheme
07:55 , Bryony GoochAhead of his arrival back in the UK, the Duke of Sussex is set to launch a commercial scheme to help former military personnel.
Harry was speaking to veterans in Washington on Wednesday amid reports he and the Duchess of Sussex plan to move back to Britain with their children.
He told the former service members and defence officials the “world needs more heroes”.
Harry says ‘world needs more heroes’ as he looks to launch veteran commercial scheme
Watch: Prince Harry and Meghan to move back to the UK
07:55 , Bryony GoochPrince of Wales likely left 'apoplectic' by news of brother's return
07:53 , Bryony GoochFormer BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt suggested the surprise announcement that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to return home is likely to have left the Prince of Wales “apoplectic”.
Mr Hunt said: “In the long term, the return of the Sussexes to the UK opens up the prospect of two rival courts, William’s and Harry’s.
“In the short term, Harry will be able to deepen his rapprochement with his father.
“And his presence back home will make it harder for his brother to duck a reconciliation.
“The surprise return of Harry and Meghan is likely to have left William apoplectic.”
Home Office affirms government's 'protective security system' as Harry and Meghan set to return
07:52 , Bryony GoochFollowing the news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will move back to Britain later this month, a Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate.
“It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”
The home secretary does not get involved in security arrangements for members of the royal family or other key public figures, and decisions are taken by the executive committee for the protection of royalty and public figures (Ravec).
The committee’s membership includes the home office, Metropolitan Police and royal household, who work together to advise the independent chair in making decisions, which are informed by expert risk assessments and in line with government policy.
Harry and Meghan to retain homes in California and Portugal
07:51 , Bryony GoochThe Sussexes are expected to retain their homes in Montecito, California, and Portugal, while the duchess will continue to run her lifestyle brand As Ever from their new base outside of London.
The Sussexes return
07:49 , Bryony GoochThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to move back to Britain in a shock development more than six years after they relocated to the US, the Press Association understands.
The couple will return to the UK later this month – making their home in a non-royal residence outside of London – and have already enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in British schools.
It is understood there will be no change to Harry and Meghan’s role and status as private individuals and non-working members of the royal family.
