Harry and Meghan’s big move back to the UK has Brits wondering one thing

Analysis: The Sussexes shocked many around the world with the news on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) that they’ll be moving back to the UK in a matter of weeks.

But for the Brits, there is one key question they’re all asking of Prince Harry and Meghan’s big announcement: what’s changed?

While news of their move – six years after leaving their life in England in the most mic-drop sort of way – was splashed across Thursday’s newspaper front pages in a mostly positive tone, there was a sense of wider scepticism of their return.

The British public has seen red with the couple in how they handled their exit from their lives as senior working royals in 2020, a move that was nicknamed Megxit.

It was seen to be a slight on the ageing monarch, the beloved Queen Elizabeth II, who needed their help with engagements, especially around the Commonwealth, which the couple were set to take on.

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This was compounded by their scathing criticism of the royal family in their Oprah Winfrey interview, which aired in Prince Philip’s dying days, as well as leaving the recently widowed Queen to deal with the allegations in their Netflix docuseries.

In his bombshell-filled autobiography Spare, Prince Harry decried the royals’ relationship with the press and the way they leak stories only for, in 2026, three newspapers to tout exclusives about the Sussexes’ UK move, all published around the same time and containing confirmation from their team, without a formal announcement from the couple.

Now, the public wants to know why the couple would return to a country and a lifestyle they slammed so openly.

And why, despite claims just six weeks ago that they’re at risk of very serious threats and without adequate security in the UK, they would now happily choose to live there along with their two kids, Prince Archie and Prince Lilibet.

It’s drawn discussions all over UK television on Thursday and was even discussed by the UK’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham.

When asked if the couple’s security arrangements would be taxpayer funded, the PM said it was for the Sussexes to sort out, not the government, suggesting the couple could continue private arrangements like they have in the US.

“It’s a matter for Harry and for Meghan, and we wish them well in the move that they are making,” Burnham said.

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Prince Harry lost his top-level royal security detail during UK visits after stepping back from his public life and living as a private citizen.

While the duke lost his High Court battle and appeals to have this around-the-clock police protection automatically reinstated, he won the ability to get a new assessment.

Now, with the shock announcement of the family’s return to the UK, the Home Office’s independent body Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) will need to create a new threat assessment to decide if they now qualify for the cover the prince fought for in court.

Although, if their secret family visit to King Charles’ private residence of Highgrove last month is anything to go by, it shows Harry and Meghan can have the safe and private life they say they want, while living in the UK.

A simple answer

According to the Sussexes’ team, the “why now?” question is as simple as “the stars have aligned” given Harry’s fractured relationship with his father, King Charles, is on the mend and the kids are at school-starting age.

Also, conveniently, the couple’s multi-million-dollar Spotify and Netflix deals have wound up, giving them the ability to restart their search for financial freedom, which was a big reason for their initial move to the US.

Now, six years on, the couple’s return is set to give them everything they wanted back then – a royal-adjacent but independent life.

It’s thought they might model Zara and Mike Tindall’s approach – making public appearances and commercial deals one day, and attending royal events as part of the wider family – as the King’s niece and nephew-in-law.

It’s understood that, like the Tindalls, the couple will base themselves outside of London and in the Cotswolds in south-west England.

The Sussexes are rumoured to have landed a place in the Hollywood-approved region, where their Montecito neighbour and good friend Ellen DeGeneres lives with wife Portia De Rossi, among other starry locals.

While Harry and Meghan may not be ready to go back to their royal roles – and indeed, Buckingham Palace “insiders” were very quick to insist The Firm doesn’t want this either – their physical proximity to the royal fold will undoubtedly mean invitations to things like Christmas at Sandringham, for example, giving them the royal clout they’ve lost in previous years as they pursue their individual endeavours.

But, whether it means an invitation to the Princess of Wales’ annual Christmas concert, which the whole family attends each year, that still remains to be seen.

William and Kate are said to not be on speaking terms with the Sussexes for the past few years and the couples’ kids, who are cousins, are not believed to have met.

Whether Harry and Meghan can repair that rift before William takes to the throne will also be key in how their lives in the UK will pan out.

US reactions

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven’t announced a timeline of how long they’ll stay in the UK, only that it will be “an extended period of time”.

So, if it doesn’t go so well – or if they’re not welcome in the later King William era – they’ll still have their US base to fall back on, with the couple keeping their Montecito home.

There, locals were surprised by news of Harry and Meghan’s move to the UK but not in the same way as the Brits.

“I guess I’m just shocked, I didn’t know that was happening. I actually didn’t even know they lived here,” one woman told 9News correspondent Reid Butler.

One resident in the exclusive Californian postcode said it was “kinda cool” they lived there but didn’t know them.

“I know nothing about them, so maybe it’s a surprise or maybe it’s not a surprise [they’re moving back to the UK],” he said.

While the reactions are different across the pond, one thing’s for sure: Prince Harry is elated with this latest and unexpected development.

The Duke of Sussex was seen beaming during a roundtable discussion about support for veterans, which took place about the same time news of the move was revealed.