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Return to UK
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are planning to move back to the United Kingdom more than six years after stepping away from their roles as senior working members of Britain's royal family, ABC News confirmed this week.
“Jobson called the news "a bit of a shock"”
ABC News royal contributors Robert Jobson and Victoria Murphy said the decision does not mean Harry and Meghan are returning to royal duties, while Jobson called the news "a bit of a shock" and said questions remain over how much King Charles III knew before he was made aware of the decision.
A source familiar with the matter told ABC News that Charles was first made aware of the couple's plans on Sunday and is said to welcome the opportunity to see more of the Sussex family.
The couple have lived in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, since stepping back from their senior royal roles in 2020, and the BBC said their return reignites questions over the level of publicly funded security in Britain.
The BBC reported that Prince Harry and Meghan plan to relocate from the US to a private, non-royal residence outside London, with their children enrolled to start at school in September.
Security and scrutiny
Security remains a central question as the BBC reported that the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), an independent body overseen by the Home Office, will now have to make a new decision because previous arrangements were based on the Sussexes not living in the UK permanently.
The BBC also quoted Prime Minister Andy Burnham saying the couple's security arrangements were a "private matter," and it added that the Home Office said the UK's protective security system was rigorous and proportionate while refusing detailed information.
In a separate account, ABC News said Jobson raised the possibility that Harry could eventually seek a larger role in the U.K. and told viewers, "I think that maybe Harry is looking to come back full-time," while Buckingham Palace has not commented on the planned move.
ABC News further reported that Murphy said the decision represents a dramatic shift after years of building a life in the United States, describing it as "On the face of it, it's a complete U-turn".
The BBC said Ravec had concluded that because Prince Harry was going to be an infrequent visitor to the UK, his security needs would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
What happens next
The return is also framed as a potential pressure point for the royal family, with the BBC saying the move reignites questions over whether it will help heal the rift with Prince William, but warning, "Don't hold your breath."
“Don't hold your breath”
The BBC reported that Harry offered a different view in an earlier interview, saying, "I would love reconciliation with my family. There's no point in continuing to fight any more," while royal author Valentine Low said William "doesn't care about the pressure to reconcile".
The BBC described how Prince William will prioritize public work in the coming months and try not to get drawn into the drama around the UK return, including travel to Mumbai in India for his environmental Earthshot Prize Award in November.
It also said that in September Prince George starts senior school at Eton College in Berkshire, with the media management of that milestone described as "carefully choreographed" and his parents expected to be "fiercely protective".
Meanwhile, ABC News reported that the couple's children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, are only known to have visited the U.K. twice since 2020, and Murphy said the decision could be "very much about their children" and wanting them to have ties to the U.K. and experience education there.