Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to begin their new life on British soil within days, a bombshell move that royal insiders say has left Prince William furious — and that could force a deeply uncomfortable reckoning between two estranged brothers. According to multiple accounts, the Prince of Wales was informed of the surprise decision on Sunday, just three days before the news was simultaneously reported by four news organizations across the United Kingdom, United States and Australia late Wednesday.
The announcement caught the royal family off guard. King Charles III learned of the couple’s plans the same Sunday, with no mention made during Harry and Meghan’s visit to Charles at his private Highgrove residence the previous month — a visit that marked the first occasion the children had met their grandfather since Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebration in 2022. Harry, 41, also declined to discuss the planned move when he met separately with the king six weeks ago, sources said.
William Left ‘Apoplectic’ by the News
Royal insiders have described Prince William’s reaction in stark terms. Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt warned that the Sussexes’ return could create competing royal power centers around the two brothers. Hunt said that Harry’s proximity to their father would facilitate continued reconciliation between them, while making it more difficult for William to avoid dealing with his brother, adding that the unexpected news likely enraged the Prince of Wales.
Sources close to the royal household say William could feel he is being maneuvered toward a reconciliation he has not agreed to, and he reportedly remains adamant that there is no path for the Sussexes to rejoin the royal family in any official capacity.
The estrangement between the brothers is deep and long-running. The last confirmed public appearance the two couples shared was in the days following Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022. When the brothers are said to have last seen each other — at the August 2024 funeral of their uncle Lord Fellowes — there was allegedly no interaction between them at all. They were last photographed together publicly at King Charles III’s coronation in 2023. In the years since the Sussexes departed Britain in 2020, Harry has leveled a series of serious allegations against William, Kate, Charles and Camilla, the queen consort, including in a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, a Netflix series, and his 2023 memoir “Spare,” in which he alleged that William physically attacked him during a dispute over Meghan and described Camilla as “dangerous.”
Children Enrolled in British Schools Ahead of September
Despite the political turbulence surrounding the move, the logistics appear already well advanced. Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, have been enrolled in British schools and are expected to begin classes in September, according to a person close to the Sussexes. The family plans to rent a private, non-royal residence outside London — the specific location has not been disclosed. They will keep their nine-bedroom Montecito, California, mansion, which they reportedly plan to let out, as well as a vacation property at the Costa Terra resort south of Lisbon, Portugal. Security is an unresolved issue: the Sussexes lost their taxpayer-funded protection when they stepped away from working royal roles, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called their security a private matter.
No Return to Royal Roles — but Questions Remain
Palace sources and officials close to William and Charles are said to be in complete agreement that the terms of the original Megxit arrangement will not change. The Sussexes will not be offered any kind of “half-in, half-out” arrangement and will not return as working royals, according to those sources. Many close to the palace, however, fear the couple may be maneuvering toward precisely such a status shift — a concern that is adding to William’s reported anger. The couple will continue to earn their living through independent ventures; Meghan will run her lifestyle brand As Ever from their new UK base, and Harry is expected to devote more time to his British-based charitable work. Public sentiment in Britain is not particularly welcoming. A YouGov survey conducted last month found that just 22% of Britons view Meghan favorably, with 65% holding an unfavorable opinion. Harry fares somewhat better but still negative overall, with 33% viewing him positively and 58% negatively. The couple’s approval in the UK has been eroded steadily since their acrimonious departure, the Oprah interview, the Netflix series, and Harry’s memoir, in which he also alleged royal family members raised concerns about his unborn child’s skin color.
Not all official voices have been hostile. Education Secretary Lucy Powell said she hopes the couple’s relocation might contribute to family healing, while noting the couple are private individuals choosing to raise their children in Britain. Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine, acknowledged that having Harry and the children closer will be positive for Charles on a personal level, given the king is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer. But Little cautioned that rebuilding trust would be a lengthy process, noting that questions about whether the couple have new media deals lined up will not disappear quickly.