Hannah Furness
London: Prince Harry, his wife, Meghan, and their children have arrived in Britain by private jet, with no visible police protection.
For this next phase of their lives, there has been talk of an “extended” stay and of the duke and duchess of Sussex remaining an “international couple”.
But first, there is a new school for the children and a decision for their parents: What now?
In Harry’s case, the year ahead is mapped out for him, mostly in Britain and largely focused on the lead-up to the Invictus Games.
And the duchess? She would start with the basics at home, sources said.
“In the very short term, it’s settling the kids in and settling themselves in,” said one. “Very normal stuff.”
Prince Archie, 7, was born in Britain but left the country with his parents before he turned one.
Princess Lilibet, his five-year-old sister, is here for only the third time after a recent mini-break in Britain that included a visit to Earl Spencer’s Althorp estate.
They start at a prep school in September, learning if not a new language, then at least a new accent.
Their mother, who will run her As Ever lifestyle business from Britain and return to California frequently, will focus on getting them settled into a routine of school and clubs.
In early September, the duke has a week of appearances with his remaining patronages that are scheduled around the WellChild Awards.
As has become routine in recent years, he will add a number of other engagements to a week that was expected to be a short visit to Britain, but now starts Harry’s back-to-work itinerary.
Such was the speed of the move in its final stages that arrangements will only be confirmed with some charities in the coming days.
Meghan is understood to make personal decisions about whether to join her husband at his events and may yet appear with him to promote Invictus.
She had planned to visit Britain with him in July, before pulling out at the last minute over security concerns.
“We keep it flexible,” a source said, adding that everything would start with the children settling into their new schedule, from which all other decisions would “flow”.
The marketing of As Ever will continue with seasonal ranges of fruit spreads and Californian wine.
Meghan’s team registered iterations of the international trademark of As Ever in Britain in March, April, August and October 2025. It remains a “growing and ambitious” consumer brand, it is said, with plans for the future.
Although the Sussexes’ move was a surprise when it was revealed by London’s Telegraph last week, it had been in the works for some time.
It was “something they’ve talked about as a couple for a while”, confirmed a confidant. “It required a number of puzzle pieces to fall in place at the right time, and some of those puzzle pieces fell into place [only] fairly recently.
“You don’t just move countries on a whim.”
Asked how the Sussexes had kept it under wraps for months, one source said: “If you want to keep a secret, don’t tell anyone.”
Harry and Meghan do not have firm plans for their length of stay in Britain, with sources indicating that it could be “six months, a year, two years … who knows”.
However, one source with knowledge of their arrangements suggested they would not want to uproot their children from a new school too quickly.
Harry is committed to working largely in his home country until the Birmingham Invictus Games in July 2027. He is said to be holding daily meetings about the games and “constantly” planning.
The move will not be straightforward.
The duke and duchess agreed to the terms of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Sandringham summit in 2020, and King Charles intends to uphold them, with support from William, the Prince of Wales.
The Sussexes will not be “half-in, half-out” members of the royal family. There will be no working roles and no official appearances at palaces.
While they may be seen with the family on private occasions, their inclusion at key moments of the royal calendar – such as summer in Balmoral or Christmas at Sandringham – will be at the invitation of the King.
Prince Harry is said to hope for a public reunion with his father, building on a recent private meeting at Highgrove that Meghan and their children also attended, and for the King to open Invictus.
But long-term royal observers warn that it would be a “long road” to that point, and the Sussexes must prove they can be trusted. Details of the reunion tea at Highgrove with the King and Queen Camilla have not yet been leaked.
There are other considerations.
His family’s security, about which Harry has been so vocal, is not yet resolved to his satisfaction. Their arrival at Birmingham Airport was supervised by their personal protection officers rather than a taxpayer-funded police convoy.
While a Home Office committee review has taken place, it is understood that the Sussexes are not yet aware of the outcome.
Harry’s court cases against the media have finished for now, the latest a wholesale victory for the publishers of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
His concerns over elements of the British press are well known, but he seems to have overcome them to some extent in deciding to move back.
Criticism can still reach the Sussexes in California, the argument goes, so it makes little difference where they are based. Some of the criticism, nowadays, is from the American press.
For the next week or so, Harry and Meghan are expected to let the dust settle and unpack.
And of the future? They are, says a source, “excited”.
The Telegraph, London
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