Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex greet members of the public at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia on April 17, 2026, in Sydney, Australia. (Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)
By Brooklynn Robinson August 27, 2026 at 11:20am
Prince Harry and Meghan arrived back in Britain on Wednesday with their two children after six years in California.
A source close to the couple told NBC News last week that the family was returning for an “extended period,” not to resume official royal work.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, 41 and 45, flew privately from California with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, according to British news outlets.
The Telegraph reported they landed around midday at Birmingham Airport.
A Sussex representative would not say where they will live, citing privacy and security.
The same representative confirmed the family brought their dogs and left their chickens at the Montecito, California, estate they have occupied since 2020.
They are expected to keep that house and a property in Portugal while basing themselves at a private, non-royal home outside London, the Associated Press reported.
Are you glad Harry and Meghan left the United States?
British media said the children are enrolled to start school in September.
Harry and Meghan stepped back from working royal duties in 2020, saying they wanted to escape what they called a toxic press climate in Britain.
They later settled in Montecito, signed media deals, and publicly criticized members of the royal family in a Netflix series and in Harry’s memoir “Spare.”
Relations with King Charles III and Prince William have been strained for years.
The couple visited Charles at Highgrove in July. Palace officials have said the king welcomes seeing more of his son’s family in a private capacity.
Charles was informed of the relocation earlier this month, Reuters reported. There are no current plans for them to take on official duties.
Harry has spent years in court fighting the British government’s decision to strip him of automatic police protection when he is in the United Kingdom.
That security question is still hanging over the return.
The move does not, on paper, end their American life. Montecito remains in the picture, and Meghan’s lifestyle brand is expected to continue.
What has changed is the center of gravity. After six years of California as home base, the children will be in British classrooms and the parents will be living, for now, on Harry’s side of the Atlantic.
Whether the “extended stay” becomes a permanent homecoming is the part no official statement has settled.
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