Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have secured a new home in the United Kingdom ahead of their return later this month, with their children Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, already enrolled in British schools, according to reports. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to be coming back for 'longer than an extended period,' as stated by Queen Elizabeth II's former press secretary Ailsa Anderson.
Location and Security Details
The exact location of the family's new home, which is outside London, is being kept tightly under wraps for security reasons. The family is not thought to be moving into a royal residence, and there will be no change to their role and status as private individuals and non-working royals, according to sources. One possibility is the countryside around the Cotswolds and Northampton, close to the Spencer family estate at Althorp.
In addition to spending time with the King at Highgrove earlier this summer, the Sussexes are thought to have visited the family of Harry's mother Diana, Princess of Wales. Royal commentator Jennie Bond told Sky News: 'Harry has remained throughout close to the Spencer side of the family. His two aunts, Diana's sisters, and his uncle, her brother, and perhaps he talked [the move] through with them. Maybe he's going to live up their way… Again, we don't know and I think that's a shame because we're all left speculating.'
Family Visit to Althorp
Photos posted to social media by Meghan appear to show the family enjoyed a break at Althorp, with one showing Lilibet walking through formal gardens behind her brother and father in the distance. Another picture shows Harry in a pool throwing his daughter head-over-heels in the air while his son holds onto the edge of the pool. Harry is believed to have taken Archie and Lilibet on an emotional visit to Diana's grave on an island in a lake on the estate.
The young children met with their aunts, uncles and cousins on the trip, the BBC reports, adding that the family's UK visit last month was 'significant' in their decision to relocate.
Reactions and Implications
Ailsa Anderson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the Sussexes' return to the UK will be for 'longer than an extended period.' She said: 'They do have two young children, they will be enrolling in school. You can't flip-flop every two minutes and take them out of school and go back to the United States and then come back to the UK, so I can see that it's going to be longer than an extended period.'
The former senior royal aide added that the 'extraordinary surprise' for Harry to return may have been inspired by his visit to Althorp. She said: 'We know there's been an ongoing issue with security. He has said until this is rectified he won't be coming back to the United Kingdom, but clearly now he's had a change of heart and he wants to come back to his motherland. And I wonder, because of the trip that he made earlier, and going back to his late mother's ancestral home in Northamptonshire, whether that's made a shift in his views, and he really wants to come back, because he's missed his life here for the last six years. There will be questions asked, here is a non-working member of the royal family back in the United Kingdom. Should the British taxpayer really have to foot the bill for security?'
Harry and Meghan's planned return to Britain came as a surprise to many on Wednesday night, and the King was first made aware of the move just three days before it was made public. The decision raises the question of how the news will be met by the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Kensington Palace has not yet commented. Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt suggested the shock return is likely to have left William 'apoplectic.' 'In the long term, the return of the Sussexes to the UK opens up the prospect of two rival courts, William's and Harry's,' he said. The Sussexes will retain their homes in Montecito, California, and Portugal, while the duchess will continue to run her lifestyle brand As Ever from their new base.
