Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been living in the United States since 2020, after they made the drastic decision to quit their royal roles to seek personal and financial freedom from the Royal Family.

After more than six years living in California, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now planning on moving back to Harry’s home country within a matter of weeks. It is understood that Harry and Meghan, along with their children, will be making the move back to England at the end of August, with Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, set to start the new school year in the UK in September.

It is not known where the Sussex family will reside, nor which schools the children will attend, for security reasons, but some royal commentators have speculated they may move to either Northamptonshire - near Princess Diana ’s ancestral home of Althorp House - or the Cotswolds.

It is understood there will be no change to Harry and Meghan’s role and status as private individuals and non-working members of the royal family. But their status will remain the same, with the couple not being offered a “half-in-half-out” option when it comes to their roles.

According to the Telegraph, the family will be making the move to the UK for an ‘extended period’, while retaining their home in Montecito, California, meaning their relocation to Britain has not been defined as permanent.

The King, who is still living with cancer, was first made aware of the move on Sunday, only three days before it was made public, but is understood to welcome the opportunity to see more of the family both in a private and personal capacity.

Despite this, a royal source told the Mirror that Charles was ‘blindsided’ by the announcement, as they said: "The King and the entire royal family have undoubtedly been blindsided by the announcement from Harry and Meghan that they are returning to the UK.

"After saying that he could not see a situation safe enough to bring his wife and children to the UK just over a year ago, the fact Prince Harry is now fully prepared to not only visit but live in the country he left behind is extraordinary.

"While the King will be delighted at the prospect of seeing his grandchildren on a more regular basis, there will be concerns over the true motivation for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's decision to leave the United States after everything that has occurred since they decided to leave their royal roles.”

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told Sky News that she believes the way the announcement was made was unusual, as she said: “If I was the King, I’d actually be thinking, ‘Hang on, you came to tea with me, and we sat down and we chatted, and you didn’t even mention this?’ I find it entirely odd.

“I wish that they wouldn’t operate in this kind of secret way. Why didn’t they just put out a clear statement? Just tell us the facts, but we are left here just surmising and guessing at their reasons.”

With Harry and Meghan’s move back to the UK only weeks away, they remain some of the most divisive members of the Royal Family. Their popularity drastically decreased in 2020 when they quit their royal roles, and took a further dive in 2023, just after Harry’s memoir Spare was released.

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