Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, returned to Britain this afternoon, marking the family’s move back after six years in the United States.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex touched down at Birmingham Airport at around midday, arriving by private jet from California as they prepare to begin a new chapter in the UK.
The family are believed to have flown from Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles aboard a Bombardier Global Express XRS, a luxury long-range business aircraft often used for transatlantic travel.
The aircraft was reportedly chartered through Planet Nine Private Air, a California-based operator, with hire costs understood to be about $12,000 (£9,000) for each hour in the air.
Their arrival is understood to have taken place without police protection, as debate continues over whether public funds should contribute to the couple’s security arrangements while in Britain.
The Sussexes, who are also thought to be bringing their dogs Mia and Pula across the Atlantic, are now expected to establish a base in the UK. The move represents a striking turn of events after they stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and later settled in Montecito, California.
Meghan, a former star of Suits, is also said to be exploring a return to acting, with reports suggesting she remains in discussions over a possible role in the third season of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen.
Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, are expected to live in a non-royal residence outside London, while Archie and Lilibet have reportedly been enrolled at UK schools ahead of the new term next week.
It comes a month after the couple took Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, to see their grandfather the King for the first time in four years at his Highgrove home in July.
The couple are not thought to have raised the prospect of a return to the UK at that meeting. The King was told they were moving back three days before it was revealed.
Some reports have suggested the Sussexes’ stay in the UK could last as little as just the autumn, with the family retaining their houses in Montecito and Portugal.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne in April
Harry and Meghan with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in December 2025
Meghan meanwhile has unveiled the latest addition to her As Ever range – Spiced Apple Butter.
The jar of ‘orchard apples and fragrant spices’ is being launched today, ‘just in time for fall’, with Meghan’s brand saying the product captures the season’s ‘promise of crisp mornings and changing leaves just around the corner’.
She also posted an Instagram story in which she chuckled at what appeared to be a tea towel with the message: ‘People who take care of chickens are literally chicken tenders’.
It follows news that the Sussexes’ brood of chickens are remaining at their home in California to be cared for there.
Sussex-friendly People magazine suggested yesterday that the monarch wanted to see his estranged sons Harry and the Prince of Wales ‘together over time’, but the report has not been confirmed.
According to Harry’s autobiography, Charles pleaded with his sons during a tense meeting after Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021: ‘Please, boys. Don’t make my final years a misery.’
The brothers no longer speak, having fallen out around the time of Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding, with the relationship worsening post-Megxit following Harry’s accusations against the Royal Family in his Oprah interview, Netflix documentary and memoir Spare.
Separately today, sources close to Harry claimed he ‘never really stopped missing home’ after stepping down as a senior royal and leaving Britain for the US six years ago.
The duke is said to have ‘missed that sense of connection and belonging’ in the UK while building a new life in California with Meghan.
Harry also wants their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to ‘understand the world he grew up in and where their family comes from’, according to insiders.
William, Kate and George arrive for a church service at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral on Sunday
Now, the family are set to return to Britain where they will live for an ‘extended period’ of time, with the children enrolled in UK schools ready to start next month.
Sources, speaking to People, said the decision to move was ‘taken as a family’ and they want to ‘give the kids the opportunity to be here’.
Meghan, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, is also feeling ‘very fortunate that they’re able to give Archie and Lilibet the opportunity to experience both worlds’.
Harry will also be involved in preparations for his next Invictus Games in Birmingham in July 2027, with the source saying he ‘will be in the weeds on it every day’.
Meanwhile the rest of the Royal Family have gathered at Balmoral for their summer break.
Charles arrived at the Aberdeenshire summer retreat on Tuesday last week and William and Kate have since been pictured at the estate, as well as the Princess Royal and her brother the Duke of Edinburgh.
William and Kate have not reacted publicly to the news of the Sussexes’ return, but may have private conversations with the wider family during the break.
The future king is estranged from his younger brother after Harry levelled a barrage of accusations against him, Kate and the King and Queen in the wake of his stepping back from royal duties.
Charles, who only found out about the duke and duchess’s plans on the Sunday before they became public on the Wednesday of last week, is said to be happy to be able to spend more time with the Sussex family, but remains adamant they will not be working royals.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the RHS Sandringham Flower Show in Norfolk last month
Harry and Meghan have not commented on their reasons for relocating to the UK, though a source close to the duchess did not deny reporting that she has been offered an acting role.
Questions have been raised over the Sussexes’ finances as decisions about whether taxpayers will foot the bill for their security remain unanswered but the duchess will continue to run her lifestyle brand, As Ever, from their new base.
After his level of protection changed when he stepped down as a working royal in 2020, the duke has faced a protracted legal battle with the Home Office over security for him and his family while they are in the UK, and their arrangements may change when they become permanent residents again.
At the end of June, Harry was still waiting for a review by the Risk Management Board, 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 to try to ensure his July visit could go ahead safely.
Individual decisions on protective security for key public figures, including members of the Royal Family, are made by Ravec – which includes the Home Office, Metropolitan Police and Royal Household – which advises an independent chairman.
Rumours are rife over where Harry and Meghan will choose to settle, with suggestions including rural locations in the Cotswolds.
Archie and Lili are expected to start at their new schools next week, at the beginning of the autumn term, and it is understood there will be no published photographs of the children when they start or on their birthdays.
Our News Outlet has contacted a representative of the Sussexes for comment on the couple’s return today.
A spokesman told the BBC: ‘This is not something we would comment on.’
