Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are preparing to establish a main residence in the United Kingdom ahead of the upcoming academic year. This marks a significant structural shift in their personal and professional lives six years after stepping back from official royal duties.
Despite relocating their family across the Atlantic, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will maintain ownership of their £11 million ($14 million) estate in Montecito, California. The couple is retaining a prominent base on the American West Coast.
A Time for Family Reunions
The decision sees Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, enrolled in a British school starting this September 2026.
Sources confirm that King Charles III was informed of the couple's plans shortly before the news broke. This move opens the door for the monarch to spend more consistent, private time with his youngest grandchildren following quiet family reunions earlier this summer.
Rather than returning to official crown properties, the family will live at a private, non-royal property outside London. Details of the estate's exact location and the children's school are being strictly withheld due to ongoing privacy and personal safety protocols.
The domestic security situation remains a crucial factor for the family. Harry has previously highlighted the necessity of stringent protective measures when travelling within the UK. He has fought legal battles for state-funded police security for his family on British soil.
Not Abandoning their American Properties
Retaining their expansive Montecito property signals that the couple is not abandoning their American commercial ecosystem or media footprint. Montecito will continue to serve as the global headquarters for Archewell Productions. Markle's lifestyle brand operations will also continue. By maintaining dual-continent bases, the Sussexes are effectively establishing a transatlantic framework that balances their media production ventures in California with a grounded, European upbringing for their children.
The move marks a dramatic evolution in the couple's post-royal trajectory. After stepping down as senior working royals in 2020 and relocating to Santa Barbara County, the Sussexes built an independent commercial portfolio encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and philanthropic foundations.
However, recent months have seen a noticeable shift toward repairing long-fractured family ties. Harry's brief, private visits to see his father in recent months laid the groundwork for a broader reconciliation, making a semi-permanent return to British soil viable for the first time in years.
What Does the Move Mean for the Sussexes?
Official representatives have reiterated that the family's non-working status within the Royal Family remains entirely unchanged.
Harry and Meghan will not resume public duties on behalf of the Crown, nor will they receive taxpayer funding for their personal lifestyle. Instead, they plan to manage their private schedule, charitable commitments such as the Invictus Games, and production slates while operating quietly as private citizens within the UK.
By straddling both borders—keeping deep roots in California while placing their children's education firmly in the British system—the Sussexes appear to be executing a long-term strategy designed to give Archie and Lilibet a traditional UK schooling experience while keeping their lucrative, independent media empire fully operational across the pond.
