So much for silly season!
August is typically the time for royal websites to run stories about back-to-school or speculate about the most minute royal details, but with Wednesday’s shock announcement that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children are moving back to the United Kingdom, it’s now breaking news season!
With new information coming to light minute by minute, we’ve put together a handy answer key so you’ll have all the latest information on Harry and Meghan’s homecoming.
FIRST OF ALL: WHAT IS HAPPENING?
The Telegraph, and more specifically, their deputy royal editor Victoria Ward, broke the story on Wednesday evening that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will be moving back to the United Kingdom.
WHEN ARE THE SUSSEXES MOVING?
Imminently. Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet have already been enrolled for the upcoming school year, and fall terms generally begin in early September.
WHERE WILL THE SUSSEXES LIVE?
The only aspect of the move we’re certain of is that Harry and Meghan will move to a private, non-royal residence outside of London. We keep reading hints towards a property in the Cotswolds, but doubt a formal announcement will be forthcoming due to privacy and security concerns.
The couple will also maintain their homes in Montecito, California, and Portugal. Harry and Meghan are said to own a property in Portugal near Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooskbank.
WHERE WILL PRINCE ARCHIE AND PRINCESS LILIBET GO TO SCHOOL?
The Sussex children have already been enrolled in their new school, according to reports, though the name has not been released for privacy purposes. All we know is that it will be outside London and that Prince Archie will enter Year 3 and Princess Lilibet will enter Year 1.
Reports have bubbled up over the last year that Harry had been keen to have his children educated in the UK, though Meghan was reported saying in a 2022 interview in The Cut that any sort of school run in the UK would be accompanied by a press pen.
WILL HARRY AND MEGHAN CARRY OUT ROYAL DUTIES?
No. Reports have stressed that Harry and Meghan are moving back as private citizens and will continue with the work they undertook in California. Harry will focus on his UK-based charities and Meghan will focus on her As Ever brand and lifestyle projects.
Reports from sources within Buckingham Palace have been quick to stress that there will be no half-in half-out arrangement, nor will the couple be called upon for royal duties.
COULD WE SEE HARRY AND MEGHAN AT ROYAL-ADJACENT EVENTS?
Who knows! Our editor-in-chief, Lydia Starbuck, put together a list of all royal-adjacent events that Harry and Meghan and their children could theoretically attend while not becoming full-time working royals.
These include Christmas at Sandringham, Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, and summer holidays at Balmoral.
WHO WILL PAY FOR THE SUSSEXES’ SECURITY?
Directly from Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Sussex security is “a matter for Harry and Meghan.”
Harry lost a legal challenge to have his family’s taxpayer security and IPP status returned, so any security will be up to the Sussexes to provide for their family. While he and Meghan were still full-time working royals, they were two of the few members of the Royal Family who received protection; but after their move to the United States, the couple footed the bill for private security.
WHEN DID KING CHARLES LEARN ABOUT THE SUSSEXES’ MOVE BACK?
All reports indicate that King Charles learned of Harry and Meghan’s move back to the UK on Sunday, and that they did not come up during the family’s meeting at Highgrove last month.
During Harry and Meghan’s meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove in July, the King and Queen were reunited with their grandchildren for the first time in four years. The visit marked only the second time Princess Lilibet had met her grandfather in person. The last time the Sussex children were in the United Kingdom for any stretch of time was June 2022 for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee weekend.
Rebecca English, the Daily Mail’s royal reporter, wrote on Wednesday evening about King Charles’s reaction to the news: “It is understood that while he ‘welcomes’ the chance to see Harry and his family in a private and personal capacity, the King is clear that there will be ‘no alteration’ to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s role and status as private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family in keeping with their ‘clearly expressed wishes and agreement over past years.’”
WHEN DID WILLIAM AND CATHERINE FIND OUT?
There hasn’t been any sort of official or unofficial reaction from the Prince and Princess of Wales, though we know that, like King Charles, they found out Sunday.
However, unlike with the King, William and Catherine and Harry and Meghan have not had any formal meetings since 2022, when they were together for funeral events for Queen Elizabeth II. William and Harry have attended functions since then, but are understood to be on a frostier standing than King Charles and Harry.
A late breaking news bulletin on Thursday evening revealed that William and Catherine and their children are at Balmoral alongside the King, Queen and other members of the Royal Family.
IS THIS A PERMANENT MOVE?
The only two people who know for sure are Harry and Meghan, but there have been reports that this is both permanent and temporary with a flexible end date.
