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The Sussexes' self-imposed exile to the California sunshine was a move engineered to free them from the shackles of royal duty.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle departed to The Golden State in March 2020 months after announcing they would no longer be working royals.

Now, after six years living in the States, the Sussexes are to relocate back to Britain to a private, non-royal residence outside of London. Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, are already enrolled to start school in September.

It is not yet known whether the family's move will be permanent.

Yet in the intervening years, the couple painted a picturesque life of hiking, cycling and family days out on the beach with their two young children.

Harry beamed on the eve of the publication of his memoir Spare that he was 'in a better place than I've ever been' living in his $29million Montecito mansion.

'Yes, I'm very, very happy, I'm very at peace,' he declared to Tom Bradby during his ITV interview in 2023.

'I am in a better place than I've ever been, and I think that probably angers some people, infuriates others, because just by the nature of me leaving, I'm sure they, they, some people always thought that Meghan would leave right, but I don't think they ever thought that I would leave as well, but just by leaving that has, it's, it's embarrassing for some people.'

Harry and Meghan with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in December 2025

The Duke declared in an interview with ITV in 2023 that he was 'in a better place than I've ever been' living in their $29m Montecito mansion

The duke was proud to 'own my story', as he put it, in a no-holds-barred sit-down chat in which he declared the safety of his 'beautiful kids and amazing wife' was the reason behind the move away from the UK's shores.

'The safety, the safety of my family is my priority. Right,' Harry said.

'And that is the main reason that we left. Unfortunately, the circumstances back there haven't changed, in fact, it's only got worse. I feel safe here, my family feels safe here. I'm happy, my family's happy. It's difficult going back.'

In the revealing interview – in which he accused his family of being 'complicit' in the 'pain and suffering' inflicted on his wife and compared them to 'abusers' – he also talked of his hope of a reconciliation.

Harry said: 'I'm in such a good head space now that whatever conversations need to happen, or whatever the future holds to the point of where, can there be reconciliation and is there some, whatever comes from that, that I'm in a really good place to be able to have those conversations and come back and not linger on it, or not let it pull me back in, you know what I mean.

'So, yeah, it's been, it's been, it's been hard, I'm not gonna lie, it's been really hard at times, but I guess there's also a lot of people who refuse to accept that I could be happy out here, because of what I've left behind. But the reality is I've never been happier.'

A year after their move to America, Harry told Oprah Winfrey in an explosive interview he would not have left if it weren't for Meghan.

He added that he and his wife were 'trapped' and he had not seen a way out.

'[We were] Trapped within the system, like the rest of my family are,' he said.

'My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don't get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that.'

But Harry added that 'we're certainly not complaining... our life is great now'.

He said: 'We've got a beautiful house. We've got a beautiful... I've got a beautiful family. And the dogs... the dogs are really happy.'

Harry gleefully talked about having an 'outdoor space where I can go for walks with Archie, and we can go for walks as a family and with the dogs, and we can go on hikes'.

'We'll go down to the beach, which is so close — all of these things are just... I guess, the highlight for me is sticking him on the back of the bicycle in his little baby seat and taking him on these bike rides, which is something I was never able to do when I was young.

Meghan pictured in the garden of their Montecito home with their rescue beagle, Mia

'I can see him on the back and he's got his arms out and he's like, "Whoo!" chatting, chatting, chatting, going, "Palm tree! House!" and all this sort of stuff.'

The location of Harry and Meghan's new home in Britain has not been revealed.

The family will move into a non-royal residence and will not be working members of the Royal Family.

King Charles was only informed by his son on Sunday that he planned to move back to the UK later this month, while the Prince and Princess of Wales have also been notified.

It is understood that while the King welcomes the opportunity to see Harry and his family in a private capacity, he is clear there will be no change to the Duke and Duchess's status as private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family.

Sources insist, however, that it is not part of the Sussexes' plans to return to the royal fold.

The Duke of Sussex's friends have long insisted he would like his children to go to a British school.

'I can tell you that Harry wants to educate the children here in the UK,' one told the Daily Mail's Richard Eden last year.

'Harry feels his children are missing out on the extensive family network that their niece and nephews are enjoying.

'Harry wants his children to have the very best education. He has retained his closest friendship group of confidants from his days at school at Ludgrove and Eton. He wants that for his own children.'

A boarding school education appears unlikely for the Sussex children, given Meghan's reported criticism of the practice as 'barbaric'.

'There is still some negotiation for Harry to have with Meghan. The King, however, is delighted,' the friend said at the time.

That comment suggests that the Duke had mentioned his British education plan to his father.

Harry and Meghan will retain their homes in California and Portugal, while the duchess will now run her lifestyle brand As Ever from their new base