- READ MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to the UK this MONTH and enrolling Archie and Lilibet in school - with Palace sources saying 'there is no half in-half out option'
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Six years after sensationally exiting from royal life and leaving for the United States, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to the UK.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to be returning for an 'extended period', with Archie and Lilibet set to enrol at a British school.
But there will be no coming back into the royal fold, and the family is set to move into a non-royal residence.
Experts speculate the couple's return comes amid the ending of lucrative TV deals, financial constraints, PR mishaps and fractious relationships with Hollywood's elite, with some suggesting Meghan had 'burnt her bridges' in the US.
Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, are thought to have already enrolled at a British school - and the family are reportedly planning to stay until the children finish education.
The couple's latest move will bring them full circle back to the country they left in 2020. So just what have the couple been up to since they parted from royal life?
From London to California...and back again
January 2020: The couple stun Queen Elizabeth and the royal family by announcing their intention to step back from senior roles, become financially independent and spend more time in North America.
After 10 days of talks between senior family members, it is agreed the couple will no longer be working royals and will give up their 'Royal Highness' titles.
March 2020: Harry and Meghan carry out their last official engagement at the annual Commonwealth Day service in London. They move with their young son, Archie, 10 months, to Montecito, California in what papers dub 'Megxit'.
September 2020: Streaming service Netflix - which made the hit TV drama 'The Crown' based on the life of Queen Elizabeth and her family - announces the couple have signed a multi-year deal to produce films and series ranging from children's shows to scripted content.
November 2020: Meghan announces she has had a miscarriage in an essay for The New York Times.
She wrote: 'After changing his [Archie's] diaper, I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right.
'I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.'
December 2020: Meghan and Harry strike a multi-year deal with Spotify through their company Archewell Audio, named after their son. Meghan's show Archetypes starts airing in 2022.
Six years after sensationally exiting from royal life and leaving for the United States, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to the UK. Pictured: The couple in Bogota, Colombia, in August 2024
Meghan revealed she had experienced racism while in the UK, including someone from the royal household speculating about the colour of their future child's skin, during a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021
February 2021: The couple announce they are expecting their second child by releasing a photograph taken by a friend showing them relaxing under a tree, while Meghan gently rests her arm on her pregnancy bump.
On Valentine's Day, they said in a statement to US Weekly: 'We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother.'
The following day, it is announced that they will give an in-depth interview to US chat show host Oprah Winfrey.
Four days after that announcement, Buckingham Palace releases a statement confirming the couple's split as working members of the monarchy is permanent and they will lose their royal patronages.
February 2021: Harry tells James Corden, British host of The Late Late Show, that he stepped away from royal duties because the 'toxic' British press was destroying his mental health and he wanted to protect his family.
March 2021: Buckingham Palace says it is 'very concerned' about a report in The Times newspaper detailing allegations of bullying made by former staff of Harry and Meghan and will launch an investigation.
March 7, 2021: The couple sit down for a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. Meghan reveals she had experienced racism while in the UK, including someone from the royal household speculating about the colour of their future child's skin.
Meghan also shared the mental health struggles she had endured, recalling at one point that she 'just didn't want to be alive anymore'.
Harry meanwhile said that he felt 'really let down' by his father, King Charles and feels distanced from his brother, William.
Buckingham Palace responds that the issues raised would be taken seriously, while saying that 'some recollections may vary.'
Harry and Meghan are in Britain when Queen Elizabeth II dies in September 2022. They attend the funeral and other events related to the period of mourning
Harry and Meghan attended events in Whistler, British Columbia, for the Invictus Games training camp, in February 2024
June 4, 2021: Meghan and Harry welcome Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor in honour of her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and late grandmother, Princess Diana.
June 2022: The couple return to the UK to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee amid a prolonged dispute with the Government over police protection. Lilibet celebrates her first birthday in the UK and meets members of the Royal Family.
Late 2022: Harry becomes more involved in projects connected with veterans and mental health initiatives.
September 2022: Harry and Meghan are in Britain when Queen Elizabeth II dies. He attends the funeral and other events related to the period of mourning.
December 2022: Harry & Meghan, a six-part documentary, launches on Netflix detailing events from their courtship to their engagement and exit from royal life.
January 2023: Harry releases his explosive memoir, Spare, which becomes one of the biggest selling books of the year. He reveals highly personal details of his childhood, relationship with William, drug use and experience as a member of the Royal Family.
May 2023: Harry attends the coronation of King Charles III, but sits separately from senior working royals.
June 2023: The couple end their deal with Spotify and Archewell Audio.
August 2023: A source tells People that the couple are 'really happy together' in California.
September 2023: The couple were spotted enjoying a secret holiday in Portugal. There was speculation they visited Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, who have a property there.
January 2024: Royal biographer Omid Scobie refutes reports that the couple did not have the permission of Queen Elizabeth II to name their daughter Lilibet.
According to Robert Hardman, a former member of the queen's staff said the monarch was 'as angry as I'd ever seen her' after the couple said they had consulted her over the name.
February 2024: Harry briefly returns to Britain after King Charles announces his cancer diagnosis to meet with his father.
Later that month, he and Meghan attend events in Whistler, British Columbia, for the Invictus Games training camp.
May 2024: Harry and Meghan visit Nigeria for a three-day visit.
August 2024: The couple are invited to Colombia and attend events around online safety, young people and women's issues.
In May 2024, the couple were invited to on a three-day visit to Nigeria
With Love, Meghan launched on Netflix in March 2025 - and received largely negative reviews from TV critics
Harry became embroiled in a highly-public dispute with Dr Sophie Chandauka (right), chair of Sentebale, a charity he co-founded in 2006
January 2025: The couple were seen visiting residents displaced by wildfires in California, helping distribute meals and donating supplies.
February 2025: the couple share a kiss on stage at the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada.
March 4, 2025: With Love, Meghan, launches on Netflix. The show features Meghan welcoming friends and celebrity guests to share cooking, gardening and hosting tips - but has received largely negative reviews from TV critics.
March 25, 2025: Harry quits Sentebale, a charity he co-founded in 2006 to support vulnerable children, after stating the relationship between the board and the chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka, had broken down.
Dr Chandauka in return accused Harry and the former trustees of attempting to remove her because she had raised concerns about bullying, harassment, misogyny and misogynoir.
April 2, 2025: Meghan launches her lifestyle brand As Ever, originally called American Riviera Orchard. Her first official product collection, including jams, teas and baking mixes, sell out in under an hour.
June 2025: The As Ever brand is expanded to include alcoholic beverages.
August 2025: The Charity Commission found no evidence of widespread or systemic bullying, misogyny or harassment.
However, it criticised both sides for allowing the dispute to become public and said the conflict damaged Sentebale's reputation and risked distracting from its work
April 2026: The couple embark on a four-day visit to Australia.
July 2026: Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, stayed on the Scottish island Tanera Mor.
The private island is said to have inspired The Wicker Man, the cult 1973 film starring Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland.
Harry is thought to have previously visited the island, which was bought for £1.7million in 2017 by billionaire Ian Wace, co-founder of hedge fund giant Marshall Wace.
They also had a secret meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire, when father and son exchanged words in the first public in-person meeting in four years.
Charles had not seen his youngest grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, since 2022, when they were just three and one.
Later in the month, Prince Harry surprised his wife Meghan Markle with a FaceTime call during her appearance on MasterChef Australia on Sunday night.
August 6, 2026: Meghan made quite the splash as she marked her 45th birthday by sharing photos on social media of herself jumping into an outdoor pool – as she thanked her followers 'for the birthday love' on social media.